The Fourth Master
by Mexicanjefe
Summary: Alternate universe where Natsu doesn't make it to Tenrou, and is left to lead the guild. Follows his growth in maturity and strength over the seven year gap until the arrival of the Tenrou group. Fluctuating pairings.
1. Chapter 1- Abandoned

_Author's Note: Wow, here I am back at fanfiction. I haven't touched this site in years. But here I am again writing fanfiction, this time for Fairy Tail. I didn't want to write this necessarily, but all the good stories don't update and like JRR Tolkien I decided that if there aren't any more good stories worth reading I'll go ahead and write my own. So here we go._

 _Author's Note Again: That note up there was written when I first wrote this like a year ago. I deleted it cuz I don't know why. But I feel this intense urge to create, and I already have like a layout for dozens of chapters so I figured I got time this summer to write as many as I can. I'll try for weekly updates until late August. So if you've ever read the first couple chapters before, sorry. But I promise new and exciting stuff after that._

Chapter 1- Abandoned

"I- I'm sorry…" Doranbolt muttered as he hung his head in shame. His eyes were firmly planted on the cobbled floor of the guild hall, partly so he could avoid making eye contact with any of the members of Fairy Tail and partly so they wouldn't see his eyes tear up. Suddenly Doranbolt felt himself lifted off the ground, and a hand clenched around his collar tightly.

"What the fuck do you mean, gone?!" an enraged Natsu Dragneel spat. His aura was ablaze and Doranbolt felt genuine fear as well as sorrow. "Laxus, Wendy and Gajeel were all on Tenrou, not to mention Master and all of our S-class wizards. We couldn't lose to a dragon!"

"Natsu, put the man down," Macao finally managed. The older man bit his lip as tears rolled slowly down his cheeks. Natsu complied, but his burning gaze never left the memory mage. The wizard in question took a step back.

"It wasn't an ordinary dragon. Acnologia is the black dragon of the apocalypse," Doranbolt said quietly. Natsu opened his mouth to speak but as he did so a memory of Gildarts flashed into his mind. He had mentioned a black dragon when he had showed Natsu his prosthetics. If something could frighten Gildarts so than it stood within reason that it was powerful enough too…

"No." Natsu slumped into one of the benches behind him. He had barely whispered. His eyes were wide and his mind rushed at a million miles an hour. There was no possible way that this wizard who had fooled the entire guild into believing he was one of them was now telling the truth. "No," Natsu breathed again, not denying it to Doranbolt but to himself. Natsu could vaguely hear some of his guild members around him, and it didn't sound good. He could hear Bisca crying, as well as Jet and Droy. It didn't sound like Romeo was having it easy, either. Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, Natsu knew he had to be the one to be strong, and to hope.

"Have you searched the area?" Natsu asked as he stood himself up slowly. He couldn't lose faith in his comrades. They had to be alive, even if they hadn't defeated Acnologia.

"We haven't made a full examination yet, we barely escaped with our lives. I doubt anything could survive what I saw Acnologia do to that island, though," Doranbolt answered. He looked over his shoulder at the door and back to the dragon slayer. "I have to go now. Unfortunately the council will most likely refrain from having anyone go to investigate the ruins. I'm sure if you ask Lamia Scale or Blue Pegasus for help they'd gladly oblige, though." Doranbolt turned, and purposefully strode his way out of the guild hall. The large wooden doors swung shut loudly. Then it began. Collective sobbing, shouting, panic and misery filled the hall in a cacophony of suffering.

"They're all gone…" Wakaba said through his tears, one hand over his face and the other gripping his pipe shakily. Macao held Romeo as the father and son attempted in vain to offer comfort to each other. Natsu spun on his heel, eyes darting around at all the members. This wasn't right. Fairy Tail wouldn't last long in this state. Flame sprung up around Natsu's body as his eyes filled with purpose and determination.

"What the fuck are you all doing?! Didn't you hear the man? We have to go to Blue Pegasus for help and search the area for our friends! They aren't gone, they're Fairy Tail wizards! The silly council jumped to conclusions like it always does." Natsu grinned broadly. "We'll find them, I promise!"

Macao and Romeo looked up, both sporting toothy grins through their tears. Wakaba rubbed his eyes, chuckling lightly to himself. Bisca looked up at Alzack with a slight grin.

"He really is the heart and soul of Fairy Tail, isn't he?" Alzack nodded, and took a step forward.

"So, Natsu, what's the plan?" he asked. Natsu punched his fist into his palm and looked across the hall at all the members gathered.

"I'm gonna take a trip to Pegasus and see if Bob can help us out, who's with me?" Several guild members cheered and rose their hands. Max and Warren, Jet and Droy, Bisca and Alzack, and Reedus all approached Natsu, smiling. "Good, Macao and Wakaba, you guys take care of the guild while we're gone!" Macao scowled.

"Hey, who gave you the right to order me around?! I was gonna take up the mantle of acting guild master anyways!"

"Nothing ever changes in Fairy Tail," Reedus said while sweat dropping. Natus felt a tug at the hem of his jacket, and looking down he saw Romeo.

"I'm going to stay with my dad, Natsu. Bring them home, okay?" Natsu ruffled the young boy's hair and nodded.

"I'm all fired up! Let's go!" The gathered group all jogged their way out of the guild hall, following Natsu who had charged along rather abruptly. Macao crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Those kids…" Wakaba laughed and stood beside his friend.

"Those kids are ones who are gonna bring back the rest of the guild. Don't get too attached to being guild master," he chuckled as he placed a hand on Macao's shoulder.

"W-who said I was going to get attached?!" Macao shouted defensively. Romeo laughed warmly, feeling completely better about the situation. Natsu was going to bring the family back, of that he was sure. Out in Magnolia, Lahar and Doranbolt stared in shock at the scene which had just unfolded before them. Several members of Fairy Tail had charged right through them and bowled the two unsuspecting council wizards right over,

"Those bastards…" Lahar groaned as he rubbed his head. "What the hell are they even doing?" Doranbolt smiled, even though tears were welling up in his eyes.

"Fairy Tail… they haven't given up hope. They're heading for the train station." Lahar looked at his friend and frowned.

"Well they've certainly got persistence, I'll give them that. Not that it's going to mean anything." He stood up and dusted himself off. "Anyway, we have to be back now, Doranbolt," he said as he reached out to his partner. Doranbolt nodded and took Lahar's hand, standing up.

"Let's go."

 **Blue Pegasus Guild Hall, Several Hours Later**

"Men! I smelled your parfum before you arrived, but where is Erza's?" Ichiya asked as he struck his usual pose. Behind him, Hibiki, Ren, and Eve all followed suit. Soon after Eve and Hibiki began their typical routine on Bisca, offering her a wet towel, sitting beside her on the loveseat, and the rest of their stupidity.

"Get away from her!" Alzack roared as he punched the two away. Bisca blushed up at him a little as he helped her get to her feet. Natsu sighed and crossed his arms as he looked at Master Bob. Bob frowned, and as he glanced around at the Fairy Tail members his heart fell.

"What happened to the rest of you?" he asked slowly. Jet and Droy frowned and dropped their gazes to the floor. It was all the answer Bob needed. Natsu gritted his teeth and nodded.

"They disappeared, along with Tenrou Island. We want to go and search for them but our guild is a little small right now. I'm not sure if we'd be able to mount a full scale investigation of our own…" Natsu told the older man. He looked up with fire in his eyes. "We need the help of Blue Pegasus!"

"And you shall have it," Master Bob replied. He put a hand on Natsu's shoulder, and for the first time ever it wasn't a gesture that creeped Natsu out. "I can lend you Ichiya's team and Christina. Unfortunately that's all I have for you at the moment. You can beseech Lamia Scale for aid, I know they'd help too."

"Thank you, Master Bob," the dragon slayer said as he looked to the rest of his guild.

"Thank you!" they all cried in unison. Master Bob put his hands on his cheeks and smiled wide.

"Bring back Makarov!"

 **Lamia Scale Guild Hall, Several Hours Later**

The members of Lamia Scale all looked up in confusion as the magical bomber hovered over their guild. Jura frowned, knowing that only bad news would bring Blue Pegasus to their guild in such a dramatic manner.

"Something has happened, something horrible…" Jura murmured under his breath. He hadn't spoke loudly enough for anyone to hear, but Master Ooba beside him huffed in acknowledgement. Team Lyon quickly jogged out onto the balcony with the elderly wizards and looked up in puzzlement, all besides Sherry, whose face now donned a light blush.

"What's Blue Pegasus doing here?" Lyon asked to Ooba as Christina a small ladder fell out of Christina and onto the balcony. Jura began to answer but his words were cut off as Ichiya smacked into the stone hard, face first. Everyone gasped as a resounding snap echoed around the balcony.

"M-men…" Ichiya stuttered weakly. Jura approached the tiny man, and with one hand lightly rolled him over. To his surprise nothing was broken, well, maybe Ichiya's pride was broken but nothing else. From the ladder another figure descended quickly, but unlike who had come before this figure managed to land relatively gracefully, partly owed to his usage of the ladder rungs.

"Natsu?" Lyon inquired slowly, not quite understanding what this boy was doing here with Ichiya. "What are you doing here? And where's Gray?" Natsu completely ignored Lyon and went straight to Ooba.

"Master Ooba, I need your help." The old woman in question frowned and looked from Natsu to Ichiya, her mind racing to comprehend why the two were together and why they were here.

"Is there another dark guild that we have to take down? Nothing was discussed at our last regular meeting, what's going on?" Ichiya closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Much more grave news, I'm afraid. The parfum of several of Fairy tail's members has ceased to exists… Men!" Jura pursed his lips as he heard this. He glanced at natsu who was nodding in agreement, and Jura could only imagine how Natsu must have felt. The boy was strong. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Ren and Sherry holding each other romantically, and sighed. Those two didn't have great sense of timing. But who was he to reprimand the young for their feelings.

"So they're dead?" Ooba asked suddenly and without tact. Ichiya sweat dropped as he stammered in surprise. Natsu took a step forward slowly, eyeing up the members of Lamia Scale as he did so.

"No, they're not. But they're missing, and without the help of the council I'm going to need your help in finding them!" Ooba rubbed at her chin pensively and looked over her shoulder at the several members of Lamia Scale around her.

"I see. Very well, you can have Team Lyon, but I need Jura here." Ooba declared. Ichiya bowed to Ooba and behind him his team did so as well.

"Thank you, Master Ooba!" Lyon approached natsu as Ooba and Jura turned to re-enter the guild hall.

"We're going to find Gray," he said. "I promise." Natsu laughed lightly and put his fist in the air before Lyon.

"You don't need to promise me that. I already know we're gonna find him! But, I get to beat him bloody first!" Lyon chuckled and extended his fist to rest against Natsu's.

"Agreed." From behind them, the guild hall entrance opened once more and out came Toby and Yuka, laden with bags and luggage.

"Alright, we have all of our stuff and Sherry's make-up," Yuka said with a huff as he patted the biggest bundle. Toby snorted in displeasure as he watched Sherry and Ren share their affection for each other, in the strange way that they did it.

"We're ready to go, Lyon!" Toby shouted. Yuka shook his head disapprovingly as they approached the ladder up to Christina.

"No need to sound so mad about it…" he groaned.

 **Christina, A Day and a Half Later**

Natsu had never felt so utterly alone. Well, in all honesty he had, but it had been so long that it was almost as if he had never experienced this loss. When Igneel left him he had been crushed. His quasi-father was gone and it seemed like that was the end to his happiness. But Fairy Tail changed that. He had countless friends, and Makarov and Gildarts had been to him what he had once had with Igneel. But now it was all gone again, taken from him by Acnologia. He knew that the guild still stood, and that he still had friends in the guild. He had Macao, Wakaba, Bisca, Alzack, and all the rest. But to him it somehow wasn't the same. There were several faces that sprung into his mind.

There was Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Lisanna, even Gray. His mind eventually made its way to Happy. Natsu felt a tear roll down his cheek unbidden. Happy. His most loyal friend and dedicated companion. Happy had never let him down. But Natsu felt as if he had let Happy down. And to make matters worse… He was on transportation. Natsu gurgled in queasily as he clenched his stomach and made an arch with his body. Alzack glanced over at him and sweat dropped.

"Natsu, we're using your nose to find Tenrou Island, get ahold of yourself!" he snapped at the dragon slayer.

"Actually, I think I've gotten my bearings," Hibiki said from behind the group. He typed away with his Archive magic, eyeing the magical screen in front of him as wet his lips. "And it seems like we're very close."

Natsu raised his thumb in congratulations but kept his head planted on the soft velvet seat. It would only be a matter of time before he reunited with his friends and proved those idiot council wizards wrong. No dragon, no matter how powerful could keep Fairy Tail down. He gripped at his gut and made himself stand up shakily. His knees wobbled and his stomach did backflips but he wouldn't let it beat him this time. He shambled his way out of the control room and finally was able to let himself fall. He quickly gripped the rungs near the front of Christina to stabilize himself and gazed out across the sparkling ocean. From behind him he could make out Hibiki's voice, and that Tenrou should be visible soon. Natsu narrowed his eyes but there wasn't anything in sight, or anything on the horizon either. He could hear footsteps from behind him and another set of hands clasped the railing beside him. Max leaned on the railing and began to peer out along the ocean along with Natsu. But unlike Natsu his eyes caught something rather quickly.

He began to stammer, making odd noises with no real meaning behind them. Natsu looked at Max with annoyance, and back at the ocean to see what had such an impact on his guild mate.

"Oi, Hibiki! There ain't nothin' out there!" He shouted. He felt bile rise in his throat and fought a brief battle to keep it down.

"What are you talking about, it's right…" Hibiki had also approached the edge of the magical bomber but like Max found himself at a loss for words. Natsu grimaced and turned his attention to the ocean. This time he noticed it. All around him other wizards from the other guilds had seen what everyone else had seen, and they all had similar reactions of shock and fear. Sitting in the middle of an ocean, far below them, was an enormous hole in the water that fell to the ocean floor. The sea parted alongside this hole, as if it was afraid to touch it.

"T-t-this was Acnologia?" Lyon gulped, his hands shaking as they gripped at the railing. Warren tapped a finger to his temple, but after a few moments lowered back to his waist.

"I don't hear anything. If they're down there, they're unconscious, or worse." In the blink of an eye, Warren's face was pressed against Natsu, who was glaring at him with a piercing stare.

"Don't you dare give up on them, Warren!" Natsu let go of Warren, and focused on all the guild mages gathered on deck. "We have to go down there and check it out. First that big gap in the sea, and then we'll investigate the water around it! Let's get down there!" And after he had said his words valiantly the motion sickness returned to him and he collapsed in dizziness. But his words had had the impact Natsu was hoping for. There was a renewed passion in the eyes of his comrades, who quickly began to scramble about readying to land on the rock below them. _Don't worry_ , Natsu thought to himself. _You're gonna bring them all home_.

In a matter of minutes Christina had set down in the massive crater. The magic emanating off the rock and sea around them was oppressive and heavy, weighing down on everyone's shoulders like gravity had suddenly doubled. It was completely barren around them. Natsu began to trod along the sea-wall that had formed, sort of understanding why the water feared to flow here. There was an unnatural and eerie power about it all. It was certainly a large hole, and Natsu figured Tenrou Island must have been quite large if this was what remained of the Fairy Tail holy ground. He looked up into the sky, soaking in the sun's rays and taking note of the time. He figured they could set up camp here and start investigating the surrounding sea the next day. For now this crater needed their full attention.

He had circled around nearly half of its circumference when he met up with Jet and Droy, who had been moving around the other edge.

"Spot anything unordinary?" he asked them as they approached each other. Droy shook his head.

"Well, this whole place is unordinary, but no, we couldn't find anything," Jet said with a huff. "And it's already sundown. Let's start heading back to the camp I guess." Natsu nodded and the three members of Fairy Tail began to head in.

"The weird thing is, I'm not sensing any large amount of magic… Well I mean obviously yeah I feel it all around me, but it just feels like it's a different kind," Natsu said as he moved one of his hands through the air. "I just figured I'd be able to detect Fairy tail magic, seeing as how so many of us were here…" Droy pursed his lips and kicked a pebble at his feet.

"That makes sense I suppose, I mean it's only been two days, there still should be some residual ethernano…" Natsu looked up at the pink sky, or at least what little of it he could see outside the pit they were in.

"Maybe it's just that we can't feel it over Acnologia's residual magic," Jet suggested. Natsu put his hands at the back of his neck as they walked and mulled over the possibilities. Jet was right of course, but they didn't know enough about Acnologia to know one hundred percent if it was true. They also hadn't found any corpses yet, which implied none of the Fairy Tail wizards died. Of course the entire island was gone so there was a chance that they had all been completely vaporized. But that was another thing Natsu preferred to deny. His stomach growled as the scent of food from the ever nearing camp wafted through the air into his nose. Gathered around the fire were all the search party members, each with a somber look in their eyes.

Natsu frowned as he sat himself on a small stool. Bisca sat to his left and Lyon sat to his right. A large scaled serpent was cooking over the fire. No words were exchanged. The only sound was the crackling of the wood from the fire and the slow hiss of all the moisture escaping their dinner. Ichiya was the first to break the tense moment by clearing his throat.

"Men! We checked all the around the landing zone and found nothing!" He struck another tacky pose that his followers huffed and pulled a flaming piece of meat straight off of the fire. He tossed it in his mouth nonchalantly and swallowed it in one go.

"Nothing from me," he reported. Jet and Droy voiced their similar lack of findings, and as the rest of the circle members began to reply Natsu realized that everyone had had no luck. Shaking his head he plucked another piece of meat and spent more time working it down his throat, chewing and savoring its juicy and sweet flavor.

"Hey, this is really good. If only Happy were here, I'm sure he would love it…" his voice trailed off as the cat once again crept into his mind. It was quiet again. Everyone looked to the dragon slayer, the figurehead of the search and their unofficial leader, and as they watched the tears roll down his cheeks they all found their resolve waver. But then Lyon stood up.

"What the hell are you doing, Natsu?! You can't give up yet, they're out there and they're waiting for us to find them!" he cried took Natsu by both shoulders and glared at him. Natsu was taken aback. This was something, he realized, that was typical of his behavior and having to have someone else perform such an act on him was wrong. With a grin, Natsu stood up level with Lyon.

"You're right! Tomorrow we search the sea, I'm sure we'll find them!" From across the fire Sherry looked up at Ren and giggled.

"He really is inspiring, isn't he?" Ren wrapped his arm around her and nodded.

"He really is."

 **Christina, One Month Later**

As Christina floated away from the sinkhole, Natsu felt that a new hole had appeared. But it wasn't in the ground, or the sea. It was in his heart. He sat below decks up against a wall keeled over due to his motion sickness, but it was more than the motion that made him sick. He knew all of his comrades felt the same way. He couldn't let them see him like this. He had to be strong, for them. He had to keep them hopeful until the rest came back. They had to come back. Natsu felt that they couldn't truly be gone. He began to consider what the guild would be like without all of the tenrou group. They had lost all of their S class wizards. And their strongest wizards besides that.

That meant that difficult jobs wouldn't be able to be done, and without difficult jobs and high pay there was no hope of paying property tax on a building the size of the Fairy Tail guild hall. So everyone who remained needed to get stronger. Natsu thought about S class wizards, and figured he might as well consider himself one. Which meant Fairy Tail had one. But one wasn't a lot. There would need to be more, so there would need to be S class exams. Suddenly Natsu stopped himself. He had left Macao in charge when they'd left, but if Fairy Tail was going to survive, or at least survive the way that Natsu wanted it to, only Natsu could do what needed to be done. He clenched his fist as rolled around on the floor, and tried feebly to stick it into the air. Natsu Dragneel would become the fourth guildmaster of Fairy Tail.

 _A/N: Alright, it was a tad short and a tad slow but it's only the first chapter. Leave any suggestions or criticism in the comments, favorite and follow at your leisure. Also, when I reread this whole thing a few nights ago I realized I have way too many small mistakes, and I'd appreciate another pair of eyes. PM me if you wanna be shared on the doc and highlight mistakes for me._


	2. Chapter 2- Bureaucracy

**Chapter 2- Bureaucracy**

 _A/N: Alright so I'm still gonna update this story every monday but I have like twelve chapters written out and by the time I leave for college I wouldn't even have half those out so I might do twice a week on rare occasions. Or maybe more I don't know._

Warren set down the stack of papers in front of Natsu. Natsu looked to the mountain before him, and then to Warren. Natsu had suspected that something like this would happen, but that didn't mean it was welcome.

"Ya know, if you had let me stay master you wouldn't have to worry about paperwork," Macao taunted from the bar as he downed a keg of ale. Natsu frowned as he took the first paper from the stack and scanned over its contents. There was no line to sign, he realized, it was just terms and conditions for a guild's existence that he needed to familiarize himself with.

"Not like you would do any of this," Natsu retorted as he quickly skimmed all the bolded bits, not bothering to read the fine print. He figured that Gramps hadn't really adhered to many of these rules anyway, seeing as how Fairy Tail was hated by the magic council. It was only a few minutes before Natsu stopped reading the papers entirely, only glancing at headings and subheadings. He knew that he was going to have to be more responsible if he was going to lead, but that didn't apply to paperwork. Or at least he hoped it didn't.

Before long his mind drifted away from the logistical nightmare he was currently facing, and to something much more important. The strength of Fairy Tail had been on his mind for awhile. Having lost nearly every impressive wizard Fairy Tail once boasted, conflicts that the guild had previously overcome wouldn't be welcome. Fighting excited natsu but Natsu also knew that he was a different level than anyone else currently in the hall, so there was no plausible way for him to simply brute force his problems as he was used to.

"Natsu, pay attention!" Natsu looked up to Wakaba's face, who was scowling as he chewed on his pipe. Running a hand through his hair, Natsu casually apologized and continued to churn through the white mass. He finally spotted what he was looking for about half way through his papers, a line where he was to sign his name. He picked up the pen and gripped it firmly, to prevent it from shaking while he held it. He had horrid handwriting, something he would readily admit to anyone and something he hadn't previously been ashamed of. But being master meant Natsu needed to change a lot about himself, and change it fast. He slowly wrote out curled letters, neatly as he possibly could, until he had finished his signature.

"Hey… Do you think this is legible?" He asked the open air in front of him as he held it up for criticism. Laki walked forward and squinted at it.

"Well it isn't as bad as your typical writing, but you definitely murdered the paper," she said matter of factly as she adjusted her glasses. Natsu pursed his lips and re-examined it. He didn't think he'd done _that_ badly, had he?

"Don't worry about it, she honestly doesn't know how to compliment someone," Max stated brusquely as he looked over Natsu's shoulder to get a look at the signature. "I can tell what it says, and that's really all that matters."

"All right!" Natsu cried out happily as he held it in the air triumphantly.

"But you still have a lot of work," Max responded quickly. Natsu chuckled and set it down in a separate, new stack for papers he had to deliver personally to the council.

Suddenly, the room around him darkened. Everyone was gone and a feeling of absolute dread filled Natsu's body. He felt his whole body enter a shaking fit, one which he couldn't snap out of. His breaths became sharp and jagged, and he could hear his heartbeat drumming loudly in his ears. He raised his eyes to stare across the guild hall, and from the shadows he could make out a looming silhouette. He heard a laugh, almost inaudible due to its soft resonance.

"Good, you're still here. I would hate for something to happen to you. I suspect I won't see you for several years to come. Get stronger, Natsu…" and as soon as the dark figure had spoken, the room returned to normal. Everyone was focused on Natsu, some surprised, others shocked, and all of them worried.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jet asked. Natsu looked down and saw that his hands were still shaking uncontrollably. He looked up across the guild hall once more but saw nothing but the entrance. This hadn't been the first time he'd encountered the shadowy figure. Natsu gulped and lowered his hands to the bar, the cool varnished wood finally calming them down. He nodded his head slowly and wetted his lips before addressing the guild.

"I'm fine," he decreed, before resuming the menial task of filling out his forms. But he lingered on the final words of the stranger. Get stronger. Natsu wasn't sure if he could, the guild master didn't go on jobs or get involved in any of the fights that all the regular wizards of Fairy Tail did, the only time Natsu had seen Makarov in battle was during their fight with Phantom. But that was a war, not a job. No, if he couldn't get stronger, than he'd have to make sure the rest of Fairy Tail did. He stood up and pulled himself onto the counter, standing tall enough that everyone could see him.

"Alright everyone, I'm almost done with this," he shouted, quickly jabbing his finger in the direction of the white mountain of refined tree. "And when I am, I have to go to the Magic Council to get it verified and shit. And when I get back, anyone who isn't on a job is gonna start training!"

"Training for what?" Alzack asked from his table. It was a question everyone had on their mind.

"To get stronger, that's what!" Natsu replied. "You guys all have strong magic power, and it just needs to be refined! Than, I guess I can hold some S class exams," he finished, crossing his arms. The hall erupted in confused chatter.

"Natsu, this is all well and good," Bisca began slowly. "But why did you have to scuff up the bar when you could have easily just announced it from our actual stage?" Natsu closed his eyes and smiled, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. He was still a bit of a dunce. He was going to have to work on that…

 **The Magic Council, About a Week Later**

"Well, with Grimoire Heart out of the picture it would appear the only Tartaros remains of the Baram Alliance," Gran Doma stated as he drummed his fingers on the large ovular table. Several seats down Sage Org frowned beneath his great gray beard.

"It isn't much of an alliance when it's one Dark Guild. I suspect tributaries of Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart will soon be enveloped into Tartaros," he suggested. A council member across from him shook his head slowly.

"Org, why would they do that? We hardly know a damn thing about Tartaros and from what our informants in their sub-guilds say, nobody among those guilds has seen or heard of tartaros either, besides an occasional lackey coming to collect a tithe. Why would they act now?"

"Why wouldn't they act now?" Org retorted disdainfully. At times he felt as if he were the only member of the council with the ability to reason. "There can't be a non-aggression pact when there wouldn't be any blowback for acting aggressively," Org explained. Gran Doma smacked his clenched fist onto the table.

"Enough about Tartaros, we haven't heard or seen anything from them, which means they aren't an issue currently. What we do need to worry about is the King of Fiore's request."

"Oh, how he wants to hold a wizard's tournament?" One of the councillors asked. Gran Doma nodded.

"The amount of magic that would be involved in hosting as many wizards as the king wants safely in Crocus would be difficult without supervision, we're going to lend him our aid."

"And how much is our aid costing?" Another councillor inquired. "I mean, we're supplying Crocus with defense, we're constructing the arena and creating events using our magic, so I should hope it isn't cheap."

"We'll be well compensated, of that I can assure you," Gran Doma responded. He looked to Org who had his head hung.

"Sage Org, what is it?" The man in question looked back up and ran a hand through his beard.

"Fairy Tail." The councillors all unanimously laughed as he spoke the name. All except Gran Doma, who raised an eyebrow. Nobody could see this gesture do to his hat though.

"Fairy Tail is as good as gone," Gran Doma stated. "They rid us of the problem of Grimoire Heart and were destroyed in the process, two birds with one stone."

"But they aren't gone," Org corrected. "Many of the members still survived." Gran Doma grimaced.

"I'm well aware. Doranbolt quit the day we had him inform the survivors." The council began to mutter to themselves about the enforcement and intelligence agent who had gone rogue. Gran Doma pounded his fist against the table once more, silencing the side conversation.

"Why do you bring them up, Org?" Sage Org didn't know whether to grin or frown. Fairy Tail had always been a thorn in his side but their tenacity was oddly inspiring.

"A member came in today with all the paperwork to become the guild's fourth master." The table went silent. Gran Doma was visibly agitated, stretching out and clenching his fist in quick succession as his veins bulged. "We have no reason to say no," Org said. Gran Doma sighed deeply, and nodded to Org.

"I suppose we should get to it, than."

* * *

Natsu wasn't one for sitting. He wasn't one for long lectures. He wasn't one for paying attention during said lectures, and he most certainly wasn't one for having to repeat back what was said to him. Of course Natsu knew that he had to become one to do all these things, because being a parrot was necessary for Fairy Tail's survival. So he sat in silence, spoke when prompted, listened to the best of his ability, and hardest of all spoke politely. It wasn't a fun time.

"So, mister Dragneel, remind me what the relationship between the council and the guilds are?" Gran Doma asked. Natsu shoved his crossed hands between his legs.

"Well, the more jobs we complete to client's satisfaction, the council will increase our stipends that we can use to improve our infrastructure and stability. You set rules for us, and if we don't follow them you retract that stipend."

"Very good," Gran Doma replied. He was honestly surprised that the pink haired wizard before him was the same Salamander he'd many tales about. The boy was polite, thoughtful, and able to regurgitate information quite well. Unfortunately he was a member of Fairy Tail, which was an unforgivable offense to the magic council.

"Now as I'm sure you're aware your previous master received no stipends and was only able to fund your guild through very charitable donations from the town of Magnolia. Currently you have tabula rasa, so until you begin to show us you're like Makarov's Fairy Tail we'll send you a monthly stipend of five hundred thousand jewel. It may not be much for a guild of your size but should you improve your reputation we may be willing to negotiate raising that amount." Natsu frowned and mulled over his options. He didn't want to make any stupid decisions, but he also felt he had Fairy Tail's pride to uphold.

"Thank you for your generous offer, Chairman, but Fairy Tail won't need any allowance from the council."

"Is this your way of saying you're going to continue to wreak havoc in Fiore?!" Org shouted from his seat.

"No, Sage Org, Fairy Tail will still follow council regulation, but we won't need the monthly stipend. We get good money from Magnolia and other kind donors." Gran Doma smiled to himself contentedly. He'd been hoping the boy would be overly proud, it was less money that the council would have to spend.

"Hmmmm. That is acceptable, master Dragneel." Gran Doma's use of the honorific 'master' signalled to Natsu that he'd completed all the necessary tests of etiquette. He was master now, done and done. With a grin he began to shift his weight, making to stand up, but Gran Doma cleared his throat loudly.

"Now, about your previous master's spot as one of the Ten Wizard Saints… It has been almost two months, and the annual meeting was supposed to take place next month anyways. His disappearance nullifies his position." Natsu had known that it was a possibility, but he had been hoping that they would have waited for confirmation of his death, or something of the likes. Natsu nodded in response to Gran Doma, displaying that he had heard and understood what the chairman had told him.

"Fairy Tail is allowed to put one wizard up for consideration, the meeting will be held in one month's time. You aren't required to participate."

"I understand," Natsu muttered on autopilot. Gran Doma looked over to the frogs in the entryway and gestured for them to escort Natsu out.

"Good day, master Dragneel."

 **Fairy Tail, The Next Day**

"So… They're tryna avoid my training?" Natsu chuckled as he sipped his firewhiskey, before brushing the foam from his mouth. Warren laughed from beside him and spun around on his barstool to face the sparsely populated guild hall.

"I guess. Especially considering none of them were really driven to go out on a job until last night." Natsu traced little lines along the varnished bar counter, considering his options for the wizard saint dilemma.

"When does the training start, though, Natsu? We've been here waiting," Bisca stated as she cleaned her rifle. Alzack voiced his agreement from beside her.

"Probably tomorrow, there are still a few things I need to take care of first. Master business and all that." He downed his tankard and let out a light belch, before slamming the iron down and walking towards the master's office. It wasn't much of an office, but Natsu figured that he would need some time to mull things over on occasion and with that in mind he'd had some members put up a few makeshift walls and a desk. He sat down at the desk and glanced about at the walls. He'd put up the bulletin board from his house on one wall, and memories came to him unbidden as he took note of the little scrawlings he'd written on each job request.

There were quite a few matters he had to concentrate on. The first was how he was going to manage to finance the guild. He didn't have a great mind for figures and math but he knew that Fairy Tail never took cuts in the jobs that were done by its wizards. He wasn't entirely sure how Fairy Tail managed, honestly, because before his meeting with the council he'd never heard about getting donations from anyone. It wasn't the mayor of Magnolia because the mayor was the one who came to collect the property tax every other month.

He leaned his elbows onto the table and began to ruffle his unkempt hair. Natsu couldn't believe he was _thinking_ so much. His mind was racing at a million miles an hour, whereas it'd previously never been faster than maybe a crawl. Then there was the saint thing, but he put that out of his head nearly instantly. That was something he'd discuss with the guild, not a decision he could make willy-nilly on his own. His eyes moved up a tad and rested on the framed painting that sat facing him. It was a painting of the whole guild, all the members sitting and standing together smiling. They were all there, besides Gildarts. Natsu reflected on the fatherly figure he'd found in the guild, and when they'd last seen each other.

 **Several Days Before the S Class Exams**

Natsu gaped as he saw Gildarts sitting down at his table, a keg of beer in one hand and a certain exiled Fairy Tail wizard sitting across from him.

"Laxus?! What are you doing here?" Natsu asked as he pointed a finger at Makarov's grandchild. It wasn't out of anger or fear, but genuine surprise. Gildarts took a long sip of his alcohol.

"I ran into him on one of my jobs. I brought him back." Laxus scoffed and picked up his own tankard.

"He ranted on about how he had some 'bad feeling' and that I needed to come to Tenrou

with him. To be honest I'm not too keen on running into Gramps, but I guess it's unavoidable." Laxus pinched at the bridge of his nose and sighed. Natsu looked over at Happy and then back at Gildarts.

"Wait… What bad feeling did you have?" Natsu crossed his arms and stared at Gildarts intently.

"I don't know, I just can't shake the feeling that something pretty bad is going to happen. And because of that I figured it would be good to have all the strong help we can get."

"Does this mean I can fight him during the exam?" Natsu inquired excitedly, looking forward to the opportunity to brawl with the lightning dragon slayer.

"Fuck that, I'm not helping proctor your shitty exam," Laxus said disdainfully, taking another gulp from his tankard.  
"This all seems pretty suspicious," Happy stated. Gildarts smiled again.

"Anyway Natsu, there was a specific reason why I called you here," as Gildarts stood up and put a hand on Natsu's shoulder. Natsu's eyes narrowed as he pondered what it could mean. Gildarts nodded his head at Laxus, who in turn stood up and approached Natsu.

"What's going on?" Happy questioned as he slowly backed off, fearing being too close to Laxus. Natsu grinned, but was quickly gunned down.

"You're not going to fight him," Gildarts grumbled. "I want you to eat his lightning." Happy nodded as if it made sense but quickly did a double take, crying out in surprise. Laxus and Natsu said nothing, only staring at each other, their forms crackling with elemental energy.

"B-but Natsu will get sick! He can't eat the lightning!" Happy exclaimed. Gildarts shook his head as he gripped Happy by his puch. The two stared as Laxus began to channel his lightning towards Natsu, who stood stoically as it began to snap around his body.

"I had a dream where Natsu was all alone, but he was able to defeat an entire army with fire and lightning. It might not have anything to do with my premonition, but it's worth a shot…" Natsu began to cry out in pain as he absorbed the bolts of lightning. Laxus' onslaught continued, but Natsu held his ground. The flame surged around him but the lightning kept surging into him, glowing powerfully. Then it ended abruptly. Natsu was huffing, clutching at his chest as he began to slump. But he didn't fall.

"Hmph, did it work?" Laxus asked in a bored tone. He stifled a yawn with one hand. Gildarts looked to Natsu with pride in his eyes after the boy's demonstration of strength.

"We'll see. Maybe you can beat me, Natsu…"

 **Present**

A small tear fell onto the desk, marking it as it slowly trickled into the wood. Natsu hadn't even gone to Tenrou, he wasn't able to become S class, he wasn't able to make Gildarts proud, and he wasn't able to save his friends. And now here he was. Crying in an office all by himself, worrying about how to keep Fairy Tail alive so that it'd still be standing when they came back. Because he knew they'd be coming back. Natsu decided he was in no mood to do desk work. His chair creaked as it slid back against the stone tiles as he stood up from his workspace.

Just as he stepped out of his little quasi-cubicle the large main doors to the guild hall opened, and a courier stepped in. He dug around in his satchel and help up a large envelope.

"Who here is Master Dragneel, I've got a package I'm supposed to deliver to you?" Natsu stepped forward and raised his hand so that the courier could see him. He took the envelope into his hands and thanked the courier as he left. Natsu walked back into his office and sat himself back down, eyeing it up. He had no clue what it was or where it could be from, but he assumed it wasn't from the council since the courier didn't seem tied to the council visibly. He slid it open and a smaller letter slid out as well as a photograph of four figures standing in front of a large building. He took the letter in his hand and eyed it over quickly.

 _Dear Fourth Master of Fairy Tail,_

 _It has come to my attention that you've received your post in a most tragic fashion. Normally I would have liked to send this message of congratulations to you in a joyous manner and pack my writing with jokes and double meanings to confuse you, but I find with what you've gone through that would be inappropriate. I was once a member of Fairy tail like you, but I've long since retired. Even so, I want you to know that I have always, and always will be a Fairy Tail wizard and thus I will tell you what I told Makarov many years ago. You can always count on me for help. And I'd like to start helping you by providing you with the money you'll need to pay for all of your infrastructural fees. I will send you a check every other month coinciding with your payments so that the guild will never be in jeopardy of closing down._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Saint Warrod_

Natsu read it over a few times just so that he was sure of its meaning. It seemed to him that this is how Gramps had managed to keep Fairy Tail around even without council support. Natsu also gathered that the man in question was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, but he didn't know enough about them to know which one or who he was. But he was Fairy Tail, which meant Natsu didn't need to know him to trust him entirely.

Looking to the other paper that had fallen out of the envelope, Natsu noticed that it was a check. And a check for a large amount of jewel at that. This Warrod man had been truthful. Not that Natsu ever doubted he was. Natsu opened one of the drawers in his desk that was meant for filing, and he stowed away both the letter and the check in the finances tab. He then glanced at the last paper sitting on his desk. The photograph. In the foreground were four people, one of whom seemed oddly familiar to Natsu. He had yellow hair, a smirk, and long eyelashes that reminded Natsu of Laxus. There was a man with an eyepatch and a trenchcoat. A man with a tree-trunk looking neck, and a small girl with blonde hair and a wide smile. Behind them in the background was a large building that Natsu instantly recognized as Fairy Tail's old guild hall. He smiled and stuck the photo in a spare frame, sitting on his desk beside the current guild photo.

"I don't know which of those is you, Warrod, but thank you," Natsu whispered. "Welp, that's enough for today." Natsu walked back into the main hall and saw Alzack and Bisca sitting at one of the tables out across the large hall.

"Hey you two, ready for some training?" He called out. Alzack grinned shoved his fist in the air.

"Hell yeah!" Natsu smiled again. An action he felt had been a stranger to him over the last month. They'd be back, he told himself. And until they were, he still had family all around him. He would never be truly alone. He missed them and he wished they were still here, but he knew he would just have to wait patiently, no matter how long. He'd see them again.

"Alright, let's head to the forest, I wanna fight you guys!" Bisca went pale but Alzack laughed happily. Yes, Natsu decided, he no longer felt that he was alone.

* * *

Their strength was purely ranged, and they both recognized it. They had both known Natsu hadn't meant training as much as he'd meant fight, but they both sort of hoped they'd be sitting under waterfalls and running through the forest. Something cliche like that. But in a predictable Natsu manner he'd challenged them to a fight.

Bisca and Alzack were by no means frail individuals, but they were still human. If Natsu was able to get close enough to land a hit, there was a good chance that it would be the end for either of them. But they had two advantages. Range, and numbers. Alzack glanced at Bisca, only briefly but it was all that was needed for them to agree upon a strategy. They had been partners long enough to know what the plan would be. Across the forest from them, about twenty meters or so, they could hear Natsu's flaming fist slam into his palm, and they couldn't hear his catchphrase but they could both guess it; he was fired up.

In a flash of movement Bisca jumped to the right and began to sprint up a small hill in the eastern portion of the clearing. Natsu saw it and recognized that she was attempting to claim the high ground. But if he rushed at Bisca he'd leave his backside to Alzack. But if he ran at Alzack Bisca could position herself before Natsu wrapped it up and begin to lend supporting fire. He knew what he had to do.

As Bisca began to ascend the hill she noticed Natsu was sprinting away from the both of them and into the edge of the woods. She scoffed, not thinking Natsu would be the one to run from a fight. In the center of the clearing, Alzack's eyes widened. Natsu wasn't running, he must be strategizing. Bisca laid herself on the grass and requipped her sniper rifle. She glanced through the crosshairs and saw Natsu's form beside a tree.

ROAR OF THE FIRE DRAGON! A huge pillar of flame engulfed one of the trees, instantly catching fire. Bisca aimed for his head, narrowing in. But then natsu smashed his fist into the tree, sending into the clearing. The flaming spire of wood and leaves crashed into the grassy plain, spreading across the field.

"Fuck, he's shaping the terrain to his advantage…" Alzack muttered. Bisca lost Natsu beneath all the smoke, and with horror realized she could barely see into the smoky bowl Natsu had created. Which meant she couldn't see her partner either. She requipped to her Thompson Sub-Machine Guns and slid down the hill into the bowl. It was hot and she had to raise her bandana around her mouth to keep out the smoke, which lowered her visibility further.

Alzack aimed his pistol at the ground. He wouldn't be brought low by a trick as simple as this. TORNADO SHOT! The bullets he fired from his revolver popped into the dirt, and the wind from his shot blew out all the smoke to the sides. Right in front of him was Natsu, soaring towards him with a flaming fist. But the blow didn't connect. Bisca let out a flurry of shots from her guns, a few of which caught Natsu in the flank, sending him rolling into the grass. Alzack jumped back and placed his palm on the hammer of his revolver.

ICY SHOT! The storm of blue bullets flew towards Natsu, but without any hesitation Natsu was able to fry all of them with a wing slash. He turned and glanced for a second behind him, where he saw Bisca had switched to her shotgun and was charging at him. He spun on his heel and and raised his hands for another spout of flame, but several icy shots from behind him connected and rippled across his back, each shattering and forming large patches of ice.

Then Bisca's first wall of flechette barrelled into his chest. Natsu stumbled and fell to his knees in the smoldering grass. Bisca quickly switched out to her bazooka, and aimed it at Natsu. She was barely a meter away, she wouldn't miss. Alzack's eyes widened.

"Bisca, don't!" But he was too late. The explosive round smacked into Natsu's hunched form, and the ground erupted into a cloud of dirt and flame. But then the flame began to slowly recede into the center of the impact zone. Bisca's heart sank as she realized with horror what she had done. Natsu sailed out of the dust with incredible speed, delivering a swift punch to Bisca's torso. She cried out as all of the air in her lungs left her at once, and her limp body sailed across the clearing. One down. Natsu spun on his heel quickly and charged at Alzack. The gun wizard fired off several rounds, hoping that some of the bullets would connect and give him time to run. But as Azlack was shifting his body to sprint away a wave of fire erupted onto his back and sent his face into the dirt. He reached for his gun, which had landed relatively close to him. But a sandaled foot kicked the revolver away.

Natsu loomed over him, fire resonating around his form. Alzack grinned. Several homing shots had arced behind Natsu and hit him, knocking him to the ground beside Alzack. Natsu gritted his teeth as his opponent dove for the revolver and grabbed it. With one hand on the hammer and one on the trigger, a storm of ice shots began to explode against Natsu, coating him in a layer of ice. Alzack figured Natsu would melt out of it in seconds but seconds was all he needed to gain some ground. But that was a miscalculation.

SWORD EDGE OF THE FIRE DRAGON! Like a rocket, Natsu roared over the clearing and easily made up the few paces Alzack had gotten. Natsu's hit connected, and Alzack bent like a twig beneath the tremendous force, hitting the dirt and bouncing several times before he finally came to a stop.

"Shit, maybe that was too much," Natsu muttered apologetically as he ruffled his hair with one hand. Bisca pushed herself up wit her elbows, everything aching.

"You're a monster, Natsu…"

* * *

Macao took a long chug of beer, and sighed contentedly as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"I wouldn't have taken the money," he told Natsu. Natsu shook his head and popped a piece of flame into his mouth.

"Well you're a proud bastard who wouldn't be able to keep this guild intact longer than a month. Plus you're a pussy." Macao choked on his beer and had to cough out a bit.

"How am I a pussy?!" Natsu laughed lightly and looked across the hall at Bisca and Alzack who were bandaged and bruised.

"You pussied out of my training." Macao held up air quotes as Natsu said training and gestured over at the two injured guild members. Natsu supposed it was true.

"Yeah I'm thinking maybe fighting isn't all that training is…" Macao laughed and put his hand on Natsu's shoulder.

"Are you feeling alright, Natsu? Fighting is kinda your thing." Natsu looked down into his keg of flaming ale and sighed.

"Yeah, but it isn't about my thing," he muttered. "Now that I'm the master, it's about what's best for the guild." Macao smiled to himself and looked up to the ceiling, picturing Makarov. He had a feeling that Makarov would've been proud of Natsu. "Speaking of which, I'm gonna try to become one of the wizard saints," Natsu informed Macao nonchalantly. Macao did a spit take with his drink, spraying it across the bar.

"WHAT?!" He screamed, pushing himself away from the counter. "A wizard saint?! Do you have any idea how crazy powerful you have to be to become a wizard saint?!" Natsu watched as a small ball of flame danced around his fingertips. A small bolt of lightning criss crossed the surface of the flame.

"It's not about combat power solely, it's about the quality of the magic in general. My magic isn't anything special, but I have a good chance."

"You don't though, imagine how many dozens of other dragon slayers there are out there, hell we had like three in our guild alone!"

"It's not just that. I can't honestly imagine a world where we aren't all together, where Gramps isn't sitting at that counter with a tankard and where all of the Tenrou group are behind us. But that's the world we live in. And I feel like since it was Gramps' spot that was vacated it's my duty as the guild master to keep the spot warm for him until he gets back." Macao fell silent and slumped back into his seat. He glanced around the guild hall and thought about what Natsu had said. It had been true, they were living in a world Macao would've thought never could have existed.

"So… When do you go in to get tested, or whatever?" Macao asked over the lip of his drink. Natsu shrugged.

"Next month. In the meantime I'm gonna train, and so is anyone else that's just hanging around the guild."

"When you say train, do you mean what happened with Alzack and Bisca?" Natsu shook his head in reply to Macao's question.

"No, that was unreasonable of me. We're gonna stick to cliches." Macao smiled and laughed lightly.

"But I'm still gonna have people fight me," Natsu announced. Macao did another spit take. Natsu looked to Macao with a smile broader than any Macao had seen since they'd heard the news.

"Some things never change, do they?"


	3. Chapter 3- A Surprise

**Chapter 3- A Surprise**

Natsu stood up after splashing water in his face, breathing heavily. He took his scarf in one hand and rubbed at his face to clear off the perspiration. He looked out across the pool to the rest of the guild hall's backlot, analysing what was before him. There were several members of Fairy Tail there, all in various states of hard work. Bisca and Alzack were all practicing using their magic to form new kinds of shots and testing their accuracy. Jet and Droy were developing their own magic, Droy using his plant magic and Jet mercilessly punching and kicking a punching bag. With a smile Natsu imagined Jet becoming Racer, the speed wizard from Oracion Seis.

Other wizards were all busy training, and anyone that wasn't training was out on jobs. It had been a month since his fight with Bisca and Alzack, and the training had been coming along pretty well. He was definitely satisfied with the progress everyone had been making. A month. Which meant it was two weeks until the Ten Wizard Saint meeting. Natsu made his way out of the yard and back into the guild hall. He sat at the bar, and waved at Kinana to signal for his usual drink.

She went to the tap and poured a tankard of ale, before tossing a lit match into it, coating the top layer of the drink in a brisk flame. She slid it over to the guild master with a smile. Natsu held up his hand in thanks and gripped at the handle. He looked into the cup, then back up at Kinana.

"How're you feeling right now?" He asked, before lifting the metal to his lips. She frowned and ran her finger along one of the smooth glass bottles. She then looked back to Natsu and at her arms.

"I'm doing a lot better. D-do you know what's happening to me…?" she asked slowly. Makarov and Macao had never given her a straight answer, and it had been bugging her for awhile.

"I think it's a curse," Natsu responded brusquely. Kinana wasn't exactly sure what that meant, and his answer didn't relieve any of her confusion. "You used to be a snake," Natsu added before taking another sip.

"Haha, you really are a lightweight aren't you?" Kinana asked jokingly. Natsu put the tankard down and shook his head.

"I'm being totally serious, you used to be a snake. I fought you once, well, I didn't fight you as much as I fought your friend who was riding you," Natsu explained. Kinana took a seat and began to mull over what Natsu had said. It was crazy. Unbelievable. But it did sort of explain the purple of her arms.

"What does that mean?" Kinana asked to Natsu. She was shaking. Natsu downed the rest of his drink in a short chug, putting the metal back against the counter.

"I don't know, to be honest. I just learned about it a few days ago from Macao." He noticed Kinana's demeanor and put a hand on one of hers. "But I do know one thing. You're Fairy Tail, and you'll get through this. And we're all here beside you." Kinana sniffled and nodded her head. Natsu grinned and stood up, waving to Kinana as he walked himself back out into the yard. The people out and about were all taking a break, lying in the bits of shade they could find or lounging in the pool. Bisca and Alzack were beside each other, kicking their legs in the pool and talking. With a devilish grin Natsu sat himself beside Alzack and taunted the two.

"Hey lovebirds, what you up to?" Alzack began to to stutter, unable to put together a cohesive sentence while Bisca went completely red. Natsu chuckled and looked up into the sky. Eager to change the subject, Bisca leaned forward to get a better view of Natsu from over Alzack.

"Hey Natsu, have you ever liked a girl?" Natsu turned to look at Bisca with an inquisitive look in his eyes.

"I think I did, but she's gone now so that doesn't matter." Everyone stopped and looked up at Natsu. People from across the yard, who hadn't been paying any attention, were all suddenly edging their way closer. It was something they were all eager to learn about.

"Who?" Alzack asked. Of course Lucy and Lisanna came to mind, but none of them knew for sure. Macao and Wakaba figured it was either Mira or Erza. People had varying opinions because the boy was so dense it was a favorite pastime.

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" He answered. Her face flashed into his mind briefly, but he pushed it out. It didn't matter anymore. What mattered to him was the saint meeting. "Hey Macao, I'm leaving later," Natsu shouted. Macao raised an eyebrow.

"The saint meeting isn't for two weeks, right?" Natsu nodded, confirming it. "Then… Why

Are you leaving so early? It's like a half day train ride."

"I'm not taking the train, I'm walking. If I'm going to arrive to a meeting as important as this I need to show up prepared. And me and trains…" He didn't need to finish, everyone already knew that Natsu and transportation wasn't a good combo. "Also, why are you bitching? You get to be in charge for longer."

Macao grinned and raised a thumbs up. Natsu snorted, knowing he'd spoken the right words. Macao was a simple man with simple motivation. He got up from the pool and began to stride off.

"See you guys in a few weeks," he called out, waving from over his shoulder. They all watched as the Fourth Master strode away. None of them had figured Natsu could ever become what they were watching him evolve into, but it was happening before their eyes.

"Well, what are all of you lot doing standing around?! Get back to work!" Macao shouted from his float in the pool. The wizards of Fairy Tail went back to training, grumbling about the acting master.

 **A Few Miles Out of Magnolia, A Day Later**

"Why aren't we leaving yet?!" A gruff voice snarled. His bearded face was only occasionally lit by the dancing fire. The moon was dark that night, and aside from the glow of Magnolia's nightlife in the far distance the lone bonfire was the only source of light all around. Several figures sat around it, tearing into a deer cooking on an iron spit above the fire.

"Fucking idiot, he just left. He's on foot, which means the time we took fucking up the tracks was useless," another one said, ripping into the meat with his jagged teeth. This one was massive in all respects. Broad in shoulders and huge in height. A much smaller figure than either of the other two slowly pulled a rip off of the turning spit, making light bites into it.

"From what I can tell the first snow won't even begin for at least a week or so. The night it starts falling I can cook up something nasty for the boys down there. All I can say is, I hope Magnolia is brimming with loot." The massive silhouette punched at the shoulder of the small man.

"Fool, we're here for the girl," he barked. With a laugh, the man sitting across the fire from them, his arms crossed, stood up and glared down at the three of them.

"That's not our only objective, Fraki. Søren, you'll have your chance to grab as much loot as you want, provided everything goes according to plan. The pack will feast well. But we have to bide our time. Since Dragneel only set out today we should wait a week. The news that Fairy Tail is under attack won't reach him until he finds civilization, which at that point means he'll already be two weeks away on foot."

"But, Ragnar, this means we're effectively giving the Fiore government two weeks to repair the train tracks we smashed," came a voice from inside one of the tents. A tall figure exited, and the sound of creaking and clacking bones rattled across the dark and empty plains.

"Oh, Torvald, didn't know you were awake," the big one muttered. Torvald laughed and sat visibly in the light. He was an ancient looking man, but his beard was still brown and his face hadn't yet cracked with under the pressure of time. His face was covered in scars and runic tattoos of a bygone era, and his garb rattled with clinking bones he'd taken as trophies from hundreds of beasts.

Fraki, the huge man, wasn't visible underneath his massive armor. His armor was all made of wood, but the wood shone a dull gray in the light. Beside him was a man garbed in pelts, and seemingly only pelts. Leman's hair was wild and unkempt, much like his beard, and bits and pieces of meat and juice adorned his facial hair. The thin and short one was Søren, who had trimmed white hair and slight white stubble. He was very layered for the temperature that it was currently. And finally, across from all of them was the head of their pack. Ragnar had a commanding demeanor to him, from his neat braids to neat beard, he was precise and cold. A cape of wyvern scales adorned his back, and furs from rare beast covered his chest and kept him warm.

"Wizard guilds are a fucking joke," Leman huffed from a full mouth. Fraki nodded, before raising a barrel of mead to his lips. Søren shivered and hugged himself tightly.

"Won't attacking Fairy Tail be hard? I mean, even though the Tenrou group is gone aren't they still a powerful guild?"

"Søren my boy," Torvald laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "Without their master none of them are competent enough to face us! Besides, we could take out Fairy Tail even if they had their S class mages!"

"He's right," Ragnar assured from across the fire. There was a passion in his dull blue eyes. "We're a fuckin pack, and the strength of the pack is unstoppable. Guilds come and go, but a guild can't match a tight-knit family like we have here. We all use magic that compliments each other, and that's where our pack draws strength from."

Søren nodded with a grin, picking away at his rib some more. Ragnar looked from his group to the city below.

"Say, Ragnar, do you want to fight Dragneel?" Fraki asked as he laid the keg beside him. Ragnar chuckled and nodded his head.

"It isn't our main objective, but if I get lucky… I'll rip his fucking head off and put it on my cape," Ragnar flicked his palm against the skulls hanging from chains at his waist. "Now lemme ask you, Fraki. It's been years, would you even recognize her?" Torvald nodded in agreement, wanting an answer. Fraki sighed and stuck his hand into the fire, savoring the warmth.

"Yeah. And if I don't recognize her by appearance, I'll see her magic when we take the city. Don't worry about it." Ragnar nodded contentedly and sat back down. He looked up into the stars and frowned. There was no aurora this far south. And it was warmer in Fiore than it had been in Iceberg. It was a strange place, but when the snow came it would be the same.

"Just a shame that the bitch Mira isn't there," Leman stated as he tossed a bone into the fire. "I woulda loved to fight her and her take over magic, and when I beat her ram my bear-cock into her throbbing dermon pussy. I'd fuck her 'til she died." Søren went beet red and stuck his hands between his knees.

"Aw, you're embarrassing the boy," Torvald scorned. Leman laughed heartily, like a northern seal, and smacked Søren on the back.

"Hey, maybe you can get your meat stick wet down there, plenty of girls ripe for the taking!" Ragnar shook his head and put a palm on the fire. It froze instantly.

"That's enough boys. It's bed time."

 **A Week Later, The Forest**

Natsu saw the memories and was aware that they weren't his. How he was seeing them, he wasn't sure, but he was seeing them all the same. Cana embracing Gildarts, Laxus defeating Master Hades, the exceeds destroying a massive heart. And then black wings. He saw himself lying in bed, sweating nervously, while Gramps sat beside him frowning. Then everyone left, besides Happy.

"Happy, we're going to Tenrou, I'm worried about Wendy," Carla had said. Happy looked from Natsu to Carla, but in the end his glowed as he smiled broadly.

"Aye! Natsu will be fine without me for a day!" And Happy had gone. Natsu sat up in his bedroll suddenly, perspiration wildy and unable to control his breathing. It was pitch black, and silent. Eerily silent. His eyes widened and he felt it harder to breathe as he noticed the foliage before him quiver. And from it stepped a shadow, He couldn't see the shadow's face, or any of its features, for they were veiled in the darkness. But he could feel dread from this shadow.

"Natsu, good to see you're still alive…" it said in a low voice, almost a whisper. Natsu gripped the hem of the bedroll, unable to move. Unable to respond. The shadow stood where it was and made no movements, but the voice continued. "You're headed to become one of the Ten Wizard Saints… good. Get stronger, Natsu. One day we'll meet and you'll need to be able to defeat me."

Natsu tried to form a coherent response but no words came. It was like that day, three months ago, the day Natsu had become sick. But as the shadow sank back into absolute darkness Natsu found he was able to move gain. Not much, but his fingers stopped shaking and he began to take more even breaths. He was still weak, he concluded. This was the third time the stranger had visited him, and the third time it had left him in a state of panic and fear.

Slowly the normal sound of the night returned, the insects and the slow breeze. Natsu looked up at the moon and pondered for awhile. He thought about the guild, himself, the stranger. He thought about the meeting he was a week away from. Was it necessary to become a saint? Natsu wanted to hold onto it until gramos returned, but gramps could always retake his spot when he came back. Natsu shook his head and layed back down. He had committed to it, there was no turning back. He decided that if something came back, maybe he would end up not trying. But only if something dire happened.

He held his palm in the air and watched as sparking fire danced along his skin. It wasn't an easy skill to master but he smiled as he thought about what the power meant. Maybe he could defeat Laxus now? He brushed the thought out of his head. This magic wasn't something to abuse or use frivolously, his power was granted to him so he could protect the guild. Maybe somehow Gildarts' suspicion had been Natsu being stranded, and if that was the case it made sense to Natsu why he had this newfound strength.

"Hello?" A voice suddenly called out. Natsu sat up again and glanced into the darkness. A woman and a young girl about Wendy's age strode towards Natsu's camp, both wearing ragged cloaks. Natsu recognized one of them instantly.

"Were you the one I smacked on Galuna?" Natsu asked. The small girl, who Natsu saw had bright pink hair beneath her hood, looked up to the older woman in confusion. With a sigh, said woman sat down across from Natsu and pulled her hood off. She seemed to be nearly Natsu's age, possibly a year or two on him. Her hair was a dark purple, and her skin was a pale white. And she definitely shared the scent of the masked man from Galuna. Rubbing at her jaw the woman pursed her lips.

"Yes, that was me. I was in disguise then," she explained. Natsu nodded his head in understanding and then looked up at the small girl.

"I see. What are you two doing out here?" Ultear looked to Meredy and back to Natsu.

"Natsu, I'm very sorry." She tightened her hands into fists and lowered her head. "The day before Acnologia attacked, Grimoire Heart, the Dark Guild, attacked Fairy Tail. We were part of that guild, and I hurt your friends." Tears began to roll down Ultear's cheeks as she recalled what had happened on Tenrou. The way Gray had saved her from herself, and how Acnologia had erased them from the face of the Earth.

"The way I heard it, we kicked your asses," Natsu responded nonchalantly. She looked up in surprise and saw that he seemed… apathetic. "Now, you didn't answer my question. What are two ladies, previous members of a renowned dark guild, doing travelling all alone in the middle of the night?" Meredy took a seat beside Ultear and like her quasi-mother lowered her hood.

"We were heading to the Magic Council HQ, we're going to break out Jellal." Ultear looked at Meredy angrily, upset that the girl had just shared their entire plan, but contrary to what she expected Natsu smiled lightly.

"He seemed like an okay guy with his memories being gone and all, so I can't lie I'm not gonna stop you two. But here's what I wanna know. Why was your guild on Tenrou to begin with?"

The two ladies exchanged nervous glances once again. With a sigh, Natsu got out of his bedroll and blew on the blackened fire pit, reviving the dormant flame. He gestured for the two to join him around it's light and warmth, and sat down.

"The sun will be coming up soon, I'd say an hour or two. I hope it won't take any longer than that for you two to explain everything to me." Meredy and Ultear sat on the other side of the fire and nodded.

"Zeref."

 **The Next Evening, Magnolia**

The first snowflake of the season fluttered through the air delicately, swirling with the light winter breeze as it descended. It dodged people, lights and buildings as it floated, until it finally came to rest in front of the doors of the guild hall. The last stragglers of Fairy Tail moved out slowly, sharing merry conversations as they trod down the cobbled path into Magnolia. Kinana spun the keys in the lock of the great double doors and slung them around her waist. She smiled as she looked into the sky, and watched the white flakes rain down towards the earth. It was a beautiful sight, especially since the moon sliced through the thin clouds and illuminated all of the droplets of snow.

She turned away from the guild hall and began her long trek to Fairy guild hall was empty and alone now, sitting with darkened windows on a dimly lit street. It was quiet. Very quiet. The snow piled up after a few minutes, coating the streets and roofs in a light powder, and freezing the river over at the surface. If the circumstances were different it would have been a beautiful night. But the circumstances weren't favoring a peaceful winter night.

Five large figures strode through the back alleys of Magnolia. Very few people saw them, but those that did felt strangely perturbed. Nobody could guess why they were here, but their dress and stance didn't instill comfort on the few who happened to glance upon them in the shadows. It wasn't long before they all stood in front of the large doors to the guild hall.

Silently, Ragnar signaled for Fraki to work his magic. The wood of the doors began to warp, churning as if it was a liquid. It bent and contorted so that the metal locks inside of it, as well as the rivets and nails all fell to the stone ground with small pings. Eventually, a huge gap opened in it and the wood finally settled in the shape of an enormous maw, with dangling sharp bits looking like teeth and spears jutting out horizontally into the snowy air.

As the men entered the hall the weather worsened. In a matter of seconds the light breeze and calm snowfall escalated into a blizzard. The wind howled in the lonely night. It was unsettling. Inside the guild hall ice and snow built up along the hard surfaces, and the ceiling shone with icicles. Along the exterior, the guild hall was forming into what appeared to be a motte and bailey. Huge pillars of jagged ice began to form a defensive line along the walls of the guild, each sharpened at the end as to prevent anyone from getting too close.

Along the outskirts of Magnolia the snow began to rise, until a huge wall of ice circled the entire city. It glistened in the black night, constantly thickening as new layers of snow battered at its sides. Atop the guild hall, facing the cathedral, Søren sat with his legs crossed and his arms raised. Below him down in the hall, Torvald etched runes into the ice and snow with the base of his staff, and upon completion each glowed with an ancient power, before fading into nothingness. The fortification of Magnolia was going well, Ragnar decided as he enjoyed a tankard of ale from Fairy Tail's bar.

"Odds are the council will send some rune knights before Dragneel gets here, but that shouldn't be a problem," he said brusquely to Fraki and Leman. They too were at the bar drinking, enjoying their time casually as Søren and Torvald did all the hard work.

"Those swines don't deserve to use the word rune!" Torvald roared from a far corner of the room. The trio at the bar all howled with laughter as they toasted to a successful occupation.

"I expected some fuckin' resistance," Leman slurred. For a man of his stature he was quite the lightweight. "But nope, it's almost too boring!"

"Well, it sure as hell will get interesting when people wake up and actually find out what's happening," Fraki added, guzzling down a pint. Ragnar nodded, sober as ever. He eyed the hall they sat in and looked through the open maw to Magnolia.

"It's a pretty city, she'll be even prettier the more ice that covers her." He then looked up to the ceiling, imaging Søren up there doing his job. "He'll be exhausted for a day or two after using this much magic, but he should be ready when the real resistance begins…" Ragnar lifted his tankard to his lips and took a quick sip. Torvald approached the group, having completed his preparations, and grinned as he eyed up Fraki.

"You're headed to Fairy Hills first thing in the morning, I presume?" Fraki nodded as he leaned back in his bar stool, using one elbow to brace himself against the counter.

"Yeah, and I'm goin' alone," he enunciated, casting a glare at Leman. "A few weak-ass bitches shouldn't be a problem, even if _she's_ there."

"Awww, yer gonna have all the fun yourself?!" Leman managed drunkenly. "I wanna get some women though…"

"Wizards are off limits 'til we find the girl Fraki's looking for," Ragnar commanded. Leman might've been drunk but he knew better than to challenge any decision Ragnar made. He nodded his head eagerly, wanting to show his compliance. "Good boy," he taunted. Leman scowled and went back to nursing his drink. The town outside became more and more buried under the snow, and before the end of the night it was piled up at least a meter off the ground. And besides the snow, ice crept along the frames of people's houses, sealing their doors and windows and turning most abodes into tombs. It was cold that night, the coldest night in Magnolia to date. And nobody had noticed a single thing, for a very peculiar reason. That night time seemed to creep to a crawl, before stopping entirely. Time hadn't been stopped… It had been frozen.

 **Fairy Hills, the Next Morning**

Bisca hadn't felt that it was unordinarily cold until she had woken up. She had been groggy to begin with, but afterwards one of the first things she had noticed was the city out her window. Well, less of a city and more of an enormous patch of ice and snow. The storm had ended, but it was still cloudy enough that the sky was a pale grey. Getting dressed quickly, Bisca rushed to the common room where several of the other girls were chattering, distressed.

"What the hell is happening?" "What're we gonna do?" "Why is it so fucking cold?" But the conversation ended as Bisca entered. Laki stepped forward first to explain the situation, at least as far as any had understood at the time.

"We don't know exactly what the deal is, but when we were killing the useless hours a large storm must've swept over Magnolia. But not a natural storm."

"So what are you saying? Someone did all of this?" Bisca questioned. It was a far-fetched conclusion to her. Another girl behind Laki nodded.

"How else could _that_ much snow and ice form so quickly?" Bisca shrugged and shivered slightly. Even in the several layers she had donned it was still brutally cold. Laki opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could speak any words the floor began to creak. They all looked down at it in surprise, to find that the wood was contorting strangely.

"Everyone, jump away!" Laki shrieked. Bisca felt a body slam into her and then her back hit the wall hard. The air left her lungs quickly and she cried out in a gasp. The wood from the floor, seemingly with a mind of its own, had reformed into several blunt poles which had shoved everyone in the room to the walls.

The wood of the door began to go through the same process. Bisca gritted her teeth fearing another blow, but instead the wood folded away from the doorway. Snow flooded in, as well as the cold. But then something else entered. A large boot made of grey wood slammed against varnished brown wood, which was sliding away from the foot and into the hall. Where it had been before was the bare earth and stone of the building's foundation.

He was enormous. The height of a man and a half. His shoulders were broad and armored, as was the rest of him. From head to toe he was covered in the same dull wood.

"Who are you?!" Bisca demanded as she stood up. The giant turned to her and growled. She requipped to her pistol and was about to fire off a shot, when suddenly one of the large wooden beams on the ceiling collapsed and fell onto her. It didn't knock her down though, as instead of falling onto her with full force, as soon as it made contact with her it began to twist into a constricting prison. Bisca cried out as it tightened around her. Some of the other girls attempted to fling magic at the strange warrior but the wood that had previously retreated into the hall shot out into the room and clamped itself on everyone who was attempting to counter-attack.

"Wood-Make, guillotine!" Laki yelled as a large wooden blade ruptured from her hands and towards the assailant. It stopped mid-air and tumbled to the ground, leaving Laki shocked and scared. She edged back from him slowly, but he showed no sign of wanting to attack her.

"Ah, we meet again... Laki." He took a step towards her, raising his hands to his helmet. In one swift motion he pulled it off and revealed his face.

A short, but intricately woven braid of purple hair tumbled to his neck, and a similar but short beard grew from his face. His brown eyes stared into hers. Laki fell to her knees, unable to comprehend the turn of events.

"B-but, you can't be," she whispered. Fraki donned a wide smile as he took another step towards her. "NO!" Laki screamed, sending a wave of wooden weapons towards him. He shook his head slowly as it approached him.

Without uttering so much as a word he jabbed his palm out in front of him. A huge wall of grey wood rose from the floor and stopped the attack in its tracks. A second later it all began to liquify and shift back towards the ground. Laki sat on the ground, quivering and crying silently. With a deep sigh, Fraki raised one hand and a pool of wood formed around her, slowly creeping up her and wrapping around her body. Clicking his tongue disapprovingly Fraki glanced around at the Fairy Hills ladies.

"What a disappointing performance from Fiore's top guild…" He snapped his fingers and the whole building creaked. "Well, come on then," he commanded. With a swipe of his palm all the imprisoned mages floated in the air. He turned and strode purposefully out of the dorm, his captives in tow. Behind him, the Fairy Hills dorm rumbled.

All of the wood in the building came free of the stone and clay, forming a massive sphere of liquid wood in the air. It churned and rolled until it began to take another form. It grew long wings, taloned legs, a mouth full of sharp teeth and large hide. The wooden wyvern roared and took flight, circling the city of Magnolia. Fraki looked up and smiled, pleased that another one of his creations had turned out alright.

He recalled that Fairy Tail once had a maker wizard who was very strong, an ice wizard by the name of Gray. Fraki looked at his grey armor and chuckled. He very much wished that Gray was still around, it might've even been a decent challenge to fight him. He trudged through the snow back towards the guild hall and looked from the slope of the hill to the city. No doubt Søren, Leman and Torvald were down there already scrounging up what they could. Maybe they were even fighting some competent wizards. He sighed in frustration and continued to crunch through the flakes.

* * *

A full unit of the Magnolia guard navigated their way through the snow slowly. The men in the front carved out a path in the snow for the rest of the men to follow, but it was a slow-going process. At the back of the human caravan, several of the male members of Fairy Tail made their way across the slick ground. Their objective was the same, to reach the occupied guild hall and drive out whatever had taken residence there.

"We're almost at the stairs, I think," Alzack observed as he looked up. Up the hill was another of Magnolia's districts, with its back to the lake and the icy fortress that was once the guild hall standing stoically. It wasn't just the hall that had been fortified in ice, the entire slope was surrounded by a jagged ice palisade.

"This happened in one night…" Max said in awe. Jet gulped and nodded in agreement. At the front of the line one of the shoveling soldiers jabbed his shovel into the snow but to his surprise it sank a third of a meter before clanking into the stone step.

"Hey, the snow is thin enough to walk through up here!" He called behind him. He took a step into it, and he sank to his knee. It was far enough to keep moving though. Lifting his other leg high, he stepped onto the next stair. Some of the soldiers around him began to follow suit, moving themselves painstakingly up the stairway. In several minutes most of the caravan had found themselves on the stairwell, though a few soldiers and the members of Fairy Tail had yet to set foot on it.

From atop the guild hall Søren cracked a vile smile and raised his hands once more. There were bags under his pale eyes from the sleepless nights, adding to his unearthly appearance.

"Suffer!" He cried out as loudly as he could muster. His voice was lost in the shrieking wind that immediately buffeted the city. At the base of the staircase several discs of ice rose out of the snow, cutting off the men of Fairy Tail from the steps. Some of the troops nearer to the top of the steps looked back in surprise, which was doubled when the discs slowly began to spin, gradually picking up speed. Warren put a hand over his mouth as he realized what this meant.

It happened in seconds. The stairs glossed over in ice, right beneath the feet of everyone who had begun to climb them. One man near the top slipped first. He tried to stick his blade into the anything beneath to slow himself down but it wouldn't pierce the surface of the ice. He let go and frantically reached around for something to stop himself, but all he found was the leg of one of his comrades.

"Let me g…" but the man didn't finish, he flopped backwards and hit the ice hard, before plummeting down the slope. Similar scenes unfolded along the stairwell, and the wizards could only watch in mute horror as the city guard slid into the spinning discs. They were mulched. Warm blood sprayed into the snow everywhere, coating it in red and steaming off a small layer from the surface. Howls and screams of pain rang out through the empty city as bones were shattered, flesh was rended and armor was shredded. It hadn't been five minutes before a pile of eviscerated human lay at the bottom of the staircase. Droy was hunched over vomiting his insides out into the snow, Alzack had sunk to his knees and was shaking wildly, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Bastards!" Max roared as he pounded his fists on the street. It was the most gruesome sight any of them had ever laid eyes upon. But the horror was short lived.

"Attention insolent whelps!" Ragnar bellowed from the top of the steps. "Next time any of you fuckers tries to climb these, it had better be with gold, whores or booze! Otherwise you'll meet a similar fate! Oh, and fairy Tail wizards, we have your ladies! If you try to fight me, I'll send my pack to massacre you, the citizens of this town, and everyone you love!" He ended the speech there. He turned around and walked out of view of everyone in the square below. Tears fell from Max' eyes onto his curled fists as he sniffled.

"Dammit, Natsu, what do we do?"

 **The Wilderness, The Road to Era**

Natsu spun around on his heel and glared out across the wooded valley, in the direction of Magnolia. He could have sworn he'd heard someone say his name…

"Ultear, what's wrong?" Meredy asked worriedly. Ultear rubbed at her forehead with a look of pain. Natsu had the grim feeling that somehow it was related to what he felt.

"It's nothing serious, I just get this feeling that somewhere someone is messing with time…" Natsu glanced at the orb she had with her and recalled the time arc magic he witnessed on Galuna. If she felt there was something wrong, then there was probably something wrong. But she surprised him.

"It's probably nothing," she said dismissively. "We're a week from Era but we can probably get there in four days." Natsu nodded and took one last look in Magnolia's direction, before heading out in the direction of the saint meeting. But he knew that something was awry, though he couldn't say for sure what it was.


	4. Chapter 4- Subjugation

**Chapter 4- Subjugation**

Many men who boast about the size of their member exaggerate. Whether it's too conceal a truly small pecker, or in a vain attempt at impressing women, many men do it. But men like Leman boasted and had the size to back it up. And so Tabitha, the whore, was finding out as she backed up into it. Leman was loud in many things, but not in his feral intercourse, he compensated by having a tankard of ale in his mouth which every so often spilled a small cascade onto Tabitha's naked back.

Letting out a small grunt Leman extracted himself from her and shot his load onto her messy back, coating it in a vile mixture of fluids. She bit her lip and pretended it was just like any other job, but it was difficult when she knew he'd killed three other prostitutes who hadn' pleased him. She got herself up on her knees and turned to face him, placing an arm beneath her breasts to give them more volume as she stared at him lustily.

"Will that be all?" Leman looked at his manspear and gripped it in one hand. After several seconds he frowned and looked back up at her, baring his teeth.

"Get the fuck outta my sight, ya dumb cunt!" She scrambled out of the room gripping a small cloth over her nakedness, leaving Leman downing another tankard of mead. His head swirled a bit but he managed to get himself off of the bed rather easily, before stumbling to his chair across the room. It was the hospital room of the guild hall that they'd occupied, but Leman had been using it over the past week as his personal brothel. But so far he'd been severely dissatisfied with Magnolia's whores, and he'd even killed a few of the very inexperienced ones out of frustration. He began to fumble with his breeches, thinking of the Fairy Tail women they had in custody.

They all seemed attractive, and had spirit to boot. Raping them might be fun… But Leman remembered how stern Fraki had been about their treatment. Which pissed him off further since Leman knew that Fraki hadn't so much as touched one of the whores. Maybe he was stealing the wizards for himself? It would explain how obsessed he was with the purple haired girl. When Leman thought about it he realized in the week that they'd controlled Magnolia he'd been the only member of the pack to do any fucking. He knew why of course. Torvald probably couldn't get his ancient cock to stand at attention, Ragnar was probably a eunuch, Fraki was too busy pining over that one captive girl and Søren, being a virgin, was obviously afraid of women. In fact, Leman realized without really thinking, it might be a good idea to go and taunt the boy about it. Being drunk, he had no better judgement anyhow.

Leman shambled around a tad before he managed his way into the main hall, taking in the sight around him. It was how it had been for a week, with icicles hanging from the ceiling and the entire floor being coated in snow. A wall of kegs of mead and ale sat by the door, they had been brought up with the whores steadily over the past week. Speaking of the whores, Leman cast his gaze to the stage area of the guild hall. The curtains had been replaced with icey bars, and behind them sat dozens of women, shivering and miserable. He grinned at that. Suffering of weak pups always entertained him. Torvald and Ragnar were sitting at the bar as usual, Fraki was probably in the library where they'd imprisoned the wizard women, and Søren… Søren was by the whores, talking to a pretty blonde one that was at the bars. With a wolfish grin Leman made his way over to the boy.

"So you're interested in the whores after all, huh?" Leman jeered, laying an arm on the hunched boys back.

"She's not a prostitute, she's just a villager who was brought up when you demanded more women yesterday," Søren spat venomously.

"Now, now," Leman chided. "Are you tryna make me mad?" He dug his elbow into Søren's back slowly. The girl behind the bars backed away slowly, tears building up in her eyes. From across the hall Ragnar finished his drink and patted Torvald on the shoulder.

"Trouble's a brewin'," he said dismissively as he strode out of the hall. Torvald sighed, having already come to the same conclusion. He used his staff as crutch to get off the barstool he'd been sitting at, and began to hobble through the snow.

"Say, what's her name?" Leman slurred as he wrapped an arm around Søren's neck and pulled him to his feet. He held him there tightly, grinning like a madman.

"Lia," Søren replied, shaking in rage. Leman laughed like a seal, and pulled the bars open.

"Lia, what a nice name! I should probably take her for a spin then, huh?" He shoved Søren to the ground and wrapped his enormous palm around her bicep. She cried out quietly, but didn't bother putting up a fight. She knew better than that after what had happened to the three who had. Søren growled and clenched his fists beneath their gloves.

"Don't you dare fucking touch her…" Søren murmured. Leman stopped for a brief moment and looked back at Søren.

"I won't, if you fuck her." Søren scowled stood up. Leman began to laugh again, squeezing tighter on Lia's arm and cutting off her circulation. "Oh Søren, you're such a weakling!" He barked, gripping his side as he laughed. Søren was quaking, and his icey blood was boiling.

"Leman, put the girl down!" Torvald roared as he approached. Leman immediately ceased his laughter and glared over at the old man. He scowled but kept his grip on Lia.

"Hey old man, you defend the kid a lot, got a thing for diddling lil boys?" Leman growled with the spite obvious in his voice. Torvald leered back and held the base of his staff to Leman's crotch.

"If you don't put her down and leave Søren alone, you'll never be able to 'diddle' again." Leman tossed the half clothed girl into the snow and trotted off angrily. Søren smiled at Torvald but the ancient man simply frowned at him.

"We're bad people, Søren. You'd do well to remember that. After all, you were the one who butchered those soldiers at the steps," and with that Torvald slowly struggled back towards the bar. Søren crouched down and gripped Lia's hand, smiling comfortingly at her. She managed a weak smile back at him, but it was insincere.

"Hey, Søren, I don't think you're a bad guy," she said to him softly. His smile quickly curved into a frown as he helped her to her feet.

"Thanks, but I really am an evil person," Søren chuckled. It was the harsh reality of his world. He'd been in the pack as long as he could remember, there wasn't another life for him. He helped her back into the prison, and smiled at her wistfully as he froze the bars into their proper place.

"Søren, you'll keep visiting me, right?" Lia asked as he began to stride away. He nodded and made his way across the hall. Torvald, who was watching the whole thing unfold gripped the handle of his tankard and chewed the tobacco leaf in his mouth. He sincerely wished Søren's life could've been better, but unfortunately his life was linked to Torvald's and Torvald's life was one of tragedy and loss.

"Hey, they finally sent some fucking men," Ragnar announced, re-entering the hall. By 'them' he meant the magic council, which meant there were Rune Knights outside the ice wall. Which meant it was Torvald's job to deal with them. Torvald ran a hand through his beard and once again hauled himself out of his barstool strenuously.

"Yes, I expected them much sooner," the old druid said with a slight cackle as he hobbled out of the hall and into the open air. It was snowing, as usual, and the cold wind cut through the empty streets like a dagger carving through ivory. Around Torvald all of the snow began to fall more slowly, until it held still in the air, unmoving. Water from icicles ceased to drip, and few animals that dared dart through the empty alleys halted entirely. Standing at the top of the stairs, Torvald cast off his great cloak of bone and wood, leaving his decrepit and wrinkled body exposed to the elements. The runes that ran along his form glowed with ancient power suddenly, and began to surge with magical power. His crooked back righted itself, and he stood at his full height as the skin returned to cover his bones. His aura became icy, and his eyes blazed with pale blue light.

The now muscular elder looked down from the large hill he stood atop, across Magnolia and over the wall to where the Rune Knights had become entrenched. Their anch flags flew high and waved proudly. Torvald scowled and looked to his fist which was coated in magic.

"You upstarts dare call yourself rune knights? You have no knowledge of true runic power!" He bounded off and down the staircase with incredible speed, a layer of ice quickly forming beneath his feet which he slid along. A hole in the ice wall melted for him as runes began to glow in the air around his form, spinning and turning. He jumped into the deep snow outside of the city and quickly scanned the enemy. There was a massive grouping of tents about a kilometer out, but before him were several trenches dug into the snow filled with the council's soldiers. He stuck his palms into the air, and in front of them runes began to dance and sway, before being etched into the dirt walls of the trenches. Out in the distance, one enormous rune beneath the tent city formed in the snow and began to glow.

"Feel the true strength of the words of the first men," Torvald whispered.

 **Just Outside of Era, at the Same Time**

"Something's wrong," Ultear said suddenly. Her previous estimate of them reaching Era in four days was horribly wrong due to Natsu's leisurely pace, and unfortunately they were already several hours late for the meeting of the Ten Wizard Saints. But now…

"What's happening?" Meredy asked. She hadn't seen Ultear look so nervous in a long time. Though neither Natsu or Meredy knew it, Ultear had already been to Magnolia and back again, in fact she'd spent several minutes in the time anomaly witnessing Torvald make short work of the Rune Knights. She cupped her face with one hand in shock.

"Something's gone wrong with time, hasn't it?" Meredy asked. Ultear nodded slowly, still processing everything that had happened in her mind. Natsu looked at Meredy inquisitively, as if asking for an explanation. "When an anomaly in time pops up Ultear can feel it. She can also send an astral form of herself into it to observe what's happening." Natsu mouthed his understanding and looked to Ultear.

"Well, what is it?" Ultear looked about and raised her hood. Meredy followed suit. "You guys need to start fucking talking, you're freaking me out," Natsu said angrily.

"We'll explain it in the city, come on," Ultear commanded. Natsu nodded and began to walk towards the walls of Era. The magic council's home city was very well protected and it would've been hard to get in under normal circumstances, but using Natsu's influence as a guild master and his need to attend the meeting got them past the perimeter with very little screening. As they began to make their way down the crowded paths, Ultear stood closer to Natsu to speak to him quietly.

"A group of foreign ice mages have captured Magnolia and are occupying it." Ultear had expected Natsu to freak out or declare he was 'fired up' as the old natsu would have done. But he simply gritted his teeth and growled lowly.

"When?" Ultear gulped, a little afraid to answer.

"Last week." Natsu realized that this meant that the strange moments when Ultear would sort of zone out over the last week had all been caused by this.

"But you didn't investigate sooner?" She shook her head and bit at her lip. Natsu looked up at the mesa at the center of the city, and the building atop it.

"Little anomalies pop up very often, and ultear can feel them around the entire world. She can't go check _every_ single one of them," Meredy said in Ultear's defense. Natsu sighed and calmed down a little.

"I'm gonna have to take the train back, aren't I?" Ultear and Meredy looked at each other, surprised. That was their intention but Natsu seemed to pick it up very quickly. Natsu exhaled and held up his fist. "Alright, I'll do it! I'm fired up!" The two girls smiled at the words. They were iconic and with his track record of constant victory, they inspired a great deal of hope in the two convicts.

They turned into a side street to cut their way towards the train station, but something unordinary was waiting at the end of it. Less of a thing, it was someone in particular.

"Ah, Master Dragneel, I'd been hoping to see you here!" Proclaimed a looming figure. Jura Neekis stood with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. "You were late and we started without you, but it appears luck is with me today! I would consider this meeting a failure if I didn't get to face you!" He opened his eyes and looked down the hall, and sweat dropped when he saw that the salamander was gone. He spun on his heel and watched Natsu stroll out into an empty square.

"Sorry Jura, I'm busy!" Natsu called over his shoulder. Jura gaped. Natsu was almost at the mouth of the next alley he had to take, when a column of stone shot up and blocked his path. Nonchalantly, he turned and stepped towards another alleyway, but once again Jura blocked his passage.

"Jura… I'm seriously not in the mood…" Natsu growled. Jura smiled smugly.

"Well then you'll have to fight me if you want to get out of here, I've been looking forward to this for months!" Natsu let his backpack and bedroll slip off his shoulders. He had to get back, which meant he had to make this quick. His fists pulsed with fire as he made his way towards Jura. The stone wizard lashed out with a large fist of stone which collided with Natsu and sent him flying back into a wall. Natsu smashed into it and tumbled to the ground with a loud thud.

"What's he doing, he could've dodged that?!" Meredy shouted angrily. Ultear watched Natsu as he rose slowly, and as he moved his legs into a wide stance.

"He was gauging the density of Jura's rock…" She breathed. Jura frowned as he watched Natsu form a strong base, assuming that he'd have to defend against a powerful flame breath attack. He quickly raised several stone walls in front of him as he heard Natsu yell.

"ROAR OF THE FLAMING LIGHTNING DRAGON" An enormous beam of powerful magic collided with the stone, the lightning chewing through it so the flame would have a path in which to move. Jura gasped and raised his arms in front of him to bear the brunt of the fiery onslaught. He began to slide back along the masonwork, grunting as the power pushed into him. It was something much beyond the level of what he'd expected from the Salamander. Jura decided he would have to fight with his full power.

He never got that chance. As the flame subsided, Jura regained his vision of the battlefield only to see Natsu soaring towards him, his arms crackling with fire and lightning. "ELBOW OF THE FLAMING LIGHTNING DRAGON" Jura had no time to prepare any defense whatsoever. The attack collided with him, creating a shockwave and sending the stone wizard into the ground with tremendous force. He shouldn't have underestimated Natsu… Natsu collapsed to his knees in front of the unconscious Jura, huffing loudly and making every effort to fill his lungs with air.

Ultear rushed forward to check out the full extent of the damage. Natsu was badly bruised where the stone had struck him, and Jura…

"Y-you're gonna havta carry me to the train…" Natsu managed in a few stammers. Ultear nodded and placed herself beneath his arm, lifting him quickly.

"You were amazing back there," she told him as they made their way into the now open alleyway towards the train. Natsu managed a weak smile but shook his head.

"I had the element of surprise, he totally would have beaten me otherwise." Meredy giggled. She had never known the old Natsu, but from what she'd heard this new one was quite a bit different. "Anyway, hopefully I can regain some magic power before I end up in Magnolia."

"Your guild mates are in the city, hiding albeit but they're there," Ultear assured him. "Unfortunately we can't be there to help, but if time starts to work against you I think I can be of some aid."

"Thanks, Ultear," Natsu said. "Good luck freeing Jellal." They approached the train, which was leaving for the city closest to Magnolia in a few minutes. The lines had been understandably closed down since Magnolia's occupation. Natsu gulped afraid of the train ride that was about to ensue, but the idea that he was about to fight some powerful opponents got him fired up.

"I can't legally see you guys at the guild, but if you ever want supplies or want to pop by for a visit send me a message and I'll meet you in the wilderness or something," Natsu said to his new friends as he took weak steps up the stairs towards the train. Meredy smiled and waved.

"We'd love that!" she said happily. Ultear nodded.

"Good luck, Natsu."

 **A Small Shack on the Outskirts of Magnolia**

"They fucking destroyed the rune knights! How the hell can we possibly win?!" Macao roared as his palms slammed into the table. Around the table were some of the other male members of Fairy Tail, not the bulk of them unfortunately. None of them had any idea where any other wizards were currently, except the women who were trapped in the guild hall.

"Nothing changes!" Alzack responded angrily. "We've been planning this escape for a week! It's their only chance!" He glanced around at the others, most of whom nodded agreeingly. Alzack looked off to the corner of the room where Warren sat in a chair, his fingers pressed to his temples.

"They're being watched, they'll give me the signal as soon as the guard leaves," he whispered. Over the past week Warren had been in contact with the hostages, and the two groups had collaborated on a plan to retake the city through Warren's magic.

Warren stood up and turned off the link. He figured it would be awhile before the guard left, so he'd check in after a brief fifteen minute period. He would do so in intervals to make sure everything worked out.

"We don't even know their magics, this seems a bit risky…" Wakaba muttered from his seat, before taking a long drag of his cigarette.

"One of them can manipulate wood," Jet noted. "So as long as we can get him in the cellar where there's only cobble and one or two beams of wood it won't be a huge problem."  
"But he wears armor made entirely of wood, which means he always has a source," Warren corrected. He glanced out the window, and though it was mostly covered by snow there was a small patch through which he could see the frozen guild hall.

"We'll get you all out," he whispered.

* * *

"Who is he?" Kinana whispered to Laki. They were in the library, where every shelf had been manipulated by the man sitting far across to form an immense cage for the women. He hadn't mistreated them. In fact, he had barely spoken to them. He'd even cast out one of his comrades who had wandered in in a drunken stupor shouting about wanting to fuck them all. But none of the girls understood him. Besides Laki.

At the moment he sat, scribbling in a small journal. Very rarely he looked up at the ceiling, and would cast a few quick looks around the hall as if he was nervous about something.

"I grew up in a small merchant town," Laki breathed. She hugged her knees tightly and bit at her lip. "My mother was an evil woman. I don't know why my father married her. She beat me and my brother, and always argued with my father. He was a freight ship deck hand, you see, and we didn't have much. My father was always out on shipping voyages, and my mother took those opportunities to let my brother and I know how much we'd ruined her life…" Laki began to sniffle slightly as tears slid down her cheeks. She could hear the shouting, the breaking of glass and the thumping of wood.

"I was beat a lot as a child, and I remember I would spend hours thinking of horrible ways to kill my mother. She was a monster. She constantly invited other men into the house to fuck her, I guess my father wasn't good enough for her. Those fucking perverts… One of them groped me once, until my brother stepped in…" Laki's fingers dug into the skin of her legs as the memories came back to her.

 **Small Merchant Town, Several Years Ago**

"Don't you fucking dare touch my sister!" Laki's brother shouted. He swung a wooden pole at the man's arm, which instantly buckled under the force. The stranger howled in agony and held his bruised arm. Laki moved to stand behind her brother, whimpering. Their mother's brown eyes filled with fire as she pulled a bottle of wine off the counter.

"You little shit, you ungrateful parasite!" Laki backed away but her brother held her ground. Their mother shrieked in a fit of rage and brought the bottle down onto the adolescent boy's head. The added liquid increased the force of the swing, and the glass shattered loudly against his skull. He flopped to the wooden floor loudly, like a sack of lard being tossed out of a boat and onto the pier.

"And you!" Laki's mother yelled, focusing in on her daughter. "You're a little cunt, you know?!" The man beside her snickered as he cradled his injured limb.

"Leave… her alone," Laki's brother huffed from the ground. He painstakingly pushed himself up ever so slightly and looked at his mother in the eyes, blood pouring down his face from the wound atop his head.

"Laki, go to your room!" Her mother commanded. "Your brother and I need to talk." Laki cried and scrambled up the staircase, quickly slamming the door behind her. She scampered under her bed and covered her ears, but she couldn't block out the noise. The sounds of loud impacts and thumping, the shouting, and the laughing. The laughing was the worst part. How could someone enjoy inflicting pain on their own creations?

After what had seemed like an eternity, the door opened slowly. Laki watched her brother shamble in, bleeding and panting. His bare chest was covered in scratches, bruises and cuts. His eyes were blackened and his nose was bent once again. He closed the door, and immediately flopped to the ground. Laki crawled towards him, a roll of gauze in one hand a cup of water in the other. She always kept her first aid supplies under the bed, since this was by no means a rare occurrence.

"Don't worry, big bro, we can go see a healer tomorrow when Momma's out at the market…" She poured some water onto one of the corners of her dress and dabbed at some of his wounds with the wet cloth. He sat up with a light groan of pain as Laki wrapped the gauze around his waist, stemming the bleeding from his cuts. Beneath them they could hear the grunting, shouting, and metallic squeaking that meant mother had already gotten to work with her new lover.

"I fucking hate men, they're lowly perverts who're no better than animals," she whispered in a seething spit. "I want to lock him in an iron maiden and roll it down a waterfall!" Her brother looked at her with sadness in his eyes.

"An eye for an eye makes the world blind, Laki." Laki frowned and kept working. He was always the voice of reason, even when he should've been the heated one. "I can start working with dad next year, and I'll save up all the money I can to get us out of here."

Laki stopped suddenly, and sat back. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Please, brother, don't leave me with her." He stared back at her and embraced her. She cried silently as he held her, holding on to her only caretaker tightly. "I'm scared."

"I know," he said back quietly. "But we only have to endure it a little longer. The job is dangerous so it pays well, I should only have to work a few months before we can run away. I feel a bit bad about leaving father, but with us gone he should come to his senses and divorce that vile woman." Laki nodded as they let each other go. It only took her a few minutes to finish up treating her brother, and afterwards she picked up her knife and began whittling a block of wood father had brought her. Her father's company mainly shipped lumber from Fiore to other countries in Ishgar, so he always had pretty kinds to bring to Laki.

Her brother sat on his bed across from her and watched. He was clumsy and had never quite worked out how to make anything from the wood. It comforted him to see his sister focusing on creating art, and not plotting how to murder their mother.

* * *

"I don't want you to go," Laki told her brother as they hugged. They were standing on a pier beside the ship her father and brother were about to set out on. She was terrified. Being alone with her mother for a month meant she would be beaten countless times, harassed even more so, and she would have to bear all of that by herself.

"I know, and I wish I didn't have to… Here," he dug into his pockets and pulled out a small necklace. It was carved intricately of wood, but was still rough and jagged in certain spots. Laki looked up at her brother in shock.

"D-did you?" he smiled and nodded.

"It's obviously not as good as any of your creations, but whenever you get lonely or scared hold tightly to that and know that I'm with you." She looked to the necklace and back to her brother, sobbing. With a slight grin he hugged her once more.

"Hey, get up here already, we're waiting on you!" Laki's father shouted from the ship. He looked exactly like her brother, but older. They had the same purple hair, the same face, the same brown eyes, and the same caring personality. Laki wished they could always be with her. With a wave, her brother ascended the gang plank up the ship and disappeared in the small crowd that was gathered at the railing. She felt a hand lay itself on her shoulder forcefully.

"Alright. Little skank, here's the deal," her mother said venomously in her ear. "We're going to be together for awhile, so that means you have to be on your best behavior." Laki nodded slowly. It was going to be a long month.

* * *

"I'm am so sorry, Miss Olietta," the black clad man said from the doorway. Laki pressed her palm over her mouth and fought to hold back her scream. Her mother, on the other hand, grinned wildly.

"Oh, that's such a horrible tragedy! I do expect I'll receive double the death benefits, since my poor son and beloved husband both perished?"

"Quite right, ma'am. It'll be delivered within the week." With a bow and tilt of his hat the company man left their house. Laki still couldn't understand it. Attacked by raiders? Killed? Who would raid a logging vessel? Laki fell to her knees as the world around her spun. She held tightly to the wooden necklace, hoping and wishing that it had been some sort of mistake. She didn't want to be alone.

"Oh, this is perfect!" Her mother exclaimed. "I couldn't divorce that miserable troglodyte, the whole town would fucking shun me! But now he's gone, one of you stupid leeches is gone, and I get money to boot!" She glanced down at Laki and her smile immediately faded. In a quick motion she swept her hand across Laki and scooped up the necklace, cackling as she tossed it into the fireplace.

"NO!" Laki screamed. But she couldn't get herself to move. It was like she was frozen.

"Now, what to do with my other precious little parasite," her mother pondered as she drew a knife from behind her. "Oh, she was so overcome with grief at her family's death, that she took her own life! What a calamity!" Laki gritted her teeth and threw herself at her mother with a snarl. Take by surprise, her mother buckled and fell to the floor.

"You fucking whore!" Laki shrieked as she pulled the knife from beside her mother and rammed it into her mother's abdomen. Laki's mother let out a blood curdling scream, but that didn't stop Laki. She stabbed, and stabbed, until her mother lied before her disemboweled. Laki stared down at her handiwork without any sympathy in her eyes.

Looking over at the fireplace, all Laki saw left of her brother's necklace was a pile of ash. Sighing, Laki stood up and tossed the knife down. She would have to clean herself up, and then run. The only thing she knew for certain was that she was no longer able to stay.

 **Fairy Tail Library, Present**

"I'm not sure who it is, to be honest. He looks just like me, uses the same kind of magic I do, and knows me. It's either my father or my brother, but they're both supposed to be dead." Her relative closed his notebook suddenly, and without saying a word stuffed it into one of the bookshelves before he slowly trotted out of the library.

"Warren," Kinana whispered. "Warren, you there?" They waited a few moments in silence, and after a minute or two the man in question crackled into their heads.

"Alright, we're getting ready on our end. You guys know what to do." The transmission ended. The girls all looked to the red crystal that hovered over their cage, which disrupted their magic and kept them breaking out of the cage. Kinana's arms glowed purple with energy. She began to pant, mustering the power to conjure up the corrosive poison. She had never been able to keep the venom flowing through her for this long, but everyone was counting on her, so it was necessary. She clutched the bars, which began to steam. The fibrous wood slowly burnt and faded under her grip, surrendering to the harsh acidity of Kinana's venom. It wasn't a huge opening, but it was big enough for them to get through.

Kinana was the first to slide out of the cage. She was weak and exhausted, but she managed to raise a hand towards the red crystal. A ball of venom soared from her palm and slammed into the gem, chewing through the hard surface quickly. It sparked and fell to the ground, shattering into millions of grains of red. Kinana collapsed with a smile on her face.

"Great work," Bisca said to her in congratulatory voice. Some of the women approached her and picked her up, while Laki and Bisca strode towards the exit of the library. Bisca requipped to her shotgun, while Laki readied herself for when they opened the doors.

The doors swung open, slamming against the stone walls at the side of the hall. But nobody was waiting for them. Bisca looked at Laki nervously and then back out at the hall.

"I guess we better get going." The group took off down the dimly lit hall, churning through the snow. They had to find the man who controlled the snow and distract him.

"Trying to run away?" From a doorway beside them, the wood began to twist and contort as a huge figure pushed his way through. "I figured as much," he sighed as he cracked his knuckles. "But please don't forget that I beat you all last time."

"Everyone, run! I can handle him!" laki shouted. The man chuckled lowly, and surprisingly, took a step to the side.

"If that's what she wants, then you can all go. No tricks, no gimmicks. I just want to fight Laki." Bisca looked into Laki's eyes, and as the purple haired girl nodded Bisca signalled for the rest of the party to move on. They rushed past the two quickly, but before crossing into the next room Bisca hung back. She didn't want to leave Laki.

"Who are you really?" Laki asked as she struck a fighting stance. The man reached for his helmet and pulled it off, casting it to the ground. It wasn't the first time she'd seen his face, but it was the first time she'd seen into his eyes. And that's when she realized who it was.

"Wood-make wave!" A large running path of sharp wood ran towards Fraki, but he stood his ground. It parted before him and ran off beside him, not moving.

"Is that all?" He asked. Laki roared and swung her arms in an X shape. A large coffin of wood encased Fraki. But it had no effect. The wood liquified and fell to his feet.

"You always did favor the iron maiden, sister. I'll never understand why. Wood-make, hammer!" An enormous block of grey wood spiralled towards Laki. She quickly raised a wall of her own wood but it was splintered as the grey block pierced it, impacting Laki in the torso. She cried out and rolled backwards through the snow.

"We were transporting ironwood that day," Fraki stated as he began to approach his sister slowly. "I found it fitting that my wood make manifested as ironwood." She looked up at her brother with disdain and fury in her eyes.

"What have you become! Where'd all that 'eye for an eye' shit go!" Fraki frowned as he loomed over his prone sister.

"In time, you'll understand." He extended his hand to her. "Get up. You can join us." Laki slapped his hand away and slowly stood herself up.

"Like hell I'll join a bunch of savages! This guild is family! I won't let you harm any of us!" Fraki bared his teeth and growled.

"I made a promise to father that I would protect you! This fucking guild can't!" Laki chuckled and readied to continue fighting.

"You are not my brother!" Fraki scowled.

"Whether you accept me or not, I am going to fulfill my promise to our father!" Bisca bit her lip. She knew it wasn't her right to barge in on a family matter, but Laki certainly had the disadvantage against Fraki. None of her attacks could work in the slightest.

"Wood-make, cleaver!" Fraki let out an enormous grey blade that swept towards Laki. She rolled to her side to dodge it but she found herself lying in a puddle of liquid wood. Fraki smirked as it began to wrap itself around her.

"Bastard!" She shouted. Fraki began to tighten his fist, and the wood creeping around Laki tightened as well. She let out a cry of pain, which caused Fraki to hesitate momentarily.

A gunshot sounded. A bullet cracked into Fraki's back, but was stopped by his armor. Bisca smiled as the HE round burst, surrounding Fraki in the plume of an explosion.

"Are you okay?!" bisca called to Laki, who was now free of the wooden bonds.

"Yeah, I'm glad you stayed," Laki murmured graciously as he got to her feet. "Fairy Tail wizards are stronger when we stick together."

"When you disturb a proud and tall ironwood tree, you disturb the snow that rests atop it as well," a voice said from the smoke. An enormous cloud of snow flew out of the smoke and slammed into the two women, flinging them across the hall.

"What the hell…" Bisca muttered, winded, as she slid to her rear against the wall that she'd hit.

"I've mastered several magics during my time in the pack, my newest is snow shield," Fraki boasted. "Of course it's only a defensive magic, but I'm sure you two know how painful iy can be."

Laki looked at her brother with fear, something she had never pictured herself doing in a thousand years. How would they be able to defeat him?

* * *

"There are men in the guildhall, and women in the guild hall, all of whom are Fairy Tail," Torvald complained as he strode past a frozen Ragnar. He had detected the commotion later than he would have liked to, so the men from fairy Tail had breached their preliminary defenses and entered the guild hall. It was a shame, but no matter, it was still a manageable situation. He hobbled across the main hall, heading towards one of the side passages. Søren was fighting a crowd of the weaker women, and it's for that that the men owed their ability to enter the hall in the first place.

Torvald sighed. It was his duty to protect Søren, and even though he loved the boy it didn't make it any less a chore. Time was frozen once again. It was strenuous for Torvald to use these words several times in a day, but what needed to be done needed to be done.

"So you're the one…" Came a voice from behind Torvald. Torvald cracked a wild grin and turned around to face her.

"Ultear Milkovich, I've heard of you. You and your friend Azuma interest me greatly." Ultear stood before him and frowned, not knowing how this strange man had known about her, or her former guild mate. "You two use arc magic, do you not? A lost art that is. The magic of the first men, arc magic is." Torvald breathed and leaned on his staff. "Tree Arc, and Time Arc, I do believe. Wonderful magic, those are. I can perform both, of course, but only a pale reflection of what you're capable of…"

Ultear crossed her arms and glared at the old geezer. "How do you know about Arc magic?"

"My dear, that's what I wanted to ask you… Arc magic was one of the first variants of the one magic for arc magic was the magic that the nomadic first men learned. It was taught to them by nature itself, and refined to be used in conjunction with the world around us. So let me ask you, who taught you that magic?" Ultear wasn't sure how this man knew so much, but she didn't feel in the mood to answer his question. "Oh dear, you seem to be angry. Perhaps you dislike my mistreatment of time? Ah well, you're merely a projection so it isn't as if you can do anything about it…"

"But I can unfreeze someone to fight in my stead," UItear parried. Torvald cackled and glanced around.

"My Word Arc magic may not be as powerful as any of the specific arcs, but I can use my Drain word to weaken any wizard and their magical power. I don't think this guild hall has any Arc users, so you're out of luck!" Ultear smirked and snapped her fingers. Behind him, Torvald could hear snow crunching lightly underneath quiet steps. He turned around, and found himself looking at a short girl with purple hair.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked. She looked up and her eyes glazed over with a black coating. Torvald's smile dropped as purple venom coated her hands. "Ouroboros…"

* * *

"What the hell?" Søren looked up with dismay. Torvald's time magic had stopped, but he had no idea why. Had someone defeated him?

"Alzack, Macao, Wakaba! You guys go ahead, we'll deal with this guy!" Jet ordered. He turned his focus to the women who were previously distracting Søren and signalled for them to get out of the guild hall. Søren stood before them, gnashing his teeth angrily and visibly shaking.

"You fucking bastards!" A large storm of snow and ice blades erupted in a maelstrom around Søren, flying across the room and shattering against the walls. Max erected a wave of sand that held back the brunt of the attack, but for the most part it had little effect.

Droy tossed some seeds into the snow, but nothing happened. He tried again but it was like his magic had stopped working.

"Ha! You can't grow weak plants like that in my snow! Only the strongest ironwood trees can stand tall in the glacial north!" Søren bellowed from his position amidst the storm.

"Shit, what're we gonna do?" Jet asked. Max grunted in annoyance, not seeing much hope in their current situation.

"I don't know," Max responded. "Where the hell is Natsu when you need him?"

* * *

Leman was drunk again. It was a dangerous time, but that didn't dissuade Leman from indulging in worldly pleasures. Speaking of pleasures… Leman glanced around at the women he'd beaten at his feet. He could fuck any of them he wanted, but he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with Fraki. The Fairy Tail harlots had tried to escape, so he taught them a lesson. Glancing at the cage of whores, Leman set his eyes on the one that Søren had taken an interest it.

He smiled and approached her slowly, watching as her eyes filled with fear. He liked knowing that he had that kind of effect on people, it gave a high that no herbs or booze ever could. He kicked down several of the ice bars and gripped her arm once again.

"Hey, you got some nice meat bags, bitch. Maybe I'll use those…" Lia grimaced and turned her head as Leman's alcohol tainted breath wafted into her face. Leman shoved her to the ground. He fumbled with his belt, but he hadn't even unclasped it when the doors behind him slammed open.

"Hey you, get away from that girl!" Leman looked over his shoulder and blinked to see if he was seeing correctly. A man with a cigarette and another with a silver S.

"Ah, more Fairy Tail wizards! Hopefully you guys give me a better fight than the last bitches!" Macao and Wakaba took a few frightful steps back as Leman began to grow in size.

"Taste the fury of the wild north! Take-Over! Feral Soul!" Leman's hands grew and sprouted massive claws. His back hunched over and his neck widened. His teeth grew out and became razor sharp, and muscles rippled along his form, doubling their previous size.

"I take it neither of you have ever fought a bear?" Leman asked, before he charged.

* * *

The train had stopped just outside of Magnolia at an emergency station. Natsu sprinted across the snow in the direction of his guild. He was still a bit motion sick from the actual ride, but he had no time for that. He had to get back to save his friends. He refused to lose anymore of the people he cared about. From the walls of the city, Ragnar stood tall and gazed out across the snowy plains. He saw the flaming figure making moving at an incredible pace and smiled.

"Yes, Dragneel. I've been expecting you…"


	5. Chapter 5- Reclamation

**Chapter 5- Reclamation**

Torvald slid back along the cobble, dripping with sweat and his eyes brimming with fear. She came at him again, her fist connecting with his arm. The runes along his skin glowed, but they did very little to block the venom. He cried out as his skin writhed and burned beneath her touch. His knee plunged into her stomach and sent her spinning across the room.

Torvald was using a lot of his magic power to keep this strange girl's power from harming him, so his time barrier had faded away. Grimacing, he puffed up his chest and shouted again.

"Drain Magic!" He shouted the words in the tongue of the old gods and it ripped into the air. It engulfed Kinana in a blue hue but even though the air rippled with magic defying power her arms still glowed with their odd power. She kicked off the ground and Torvald barely managed to sidestep her next punch.

"Ice!" He bellowed, summoning a cloud of swirling snow from his lips. Kinana raised her arms in front of her face, and when the frost touched them it steamed and hissed out of existence. But Torvald used the moment of clouded visibility to close in for a strike. Or at least that's what he intended, but Kinana had seen through the steam. She slammed both of her palms into his abdomen, burning away at his skin. She then used his momentum to fling him up over her shoulder and into one of the walls across the room. He grunted but stayed on his feet, covering the wounds in glowing runes.

"Why won't the magic drain work on her?" Torvald huffed. She slid towards him with another fist at the ready. Torvald traced runes with his fingers in the air, and several trees erupted from the ground, pinning Kinana against the ceiling.

"Chain burst!" The trunks began bursting with golden energy, climbing along until they created a massive explosion at the top. Kinana howled in pain and fell to the floor. She lifted herself with her elbows and glared at Torvald, but noticed he was smiling. Around her, little specks of what appeared to be pollen drifted through the air.

"Bleve!" Another explosion erupted around Kinana, this one twice as powerful as the last. Torvald wasn't surprised when the smoke faded and she was standing, he expected her to be hardy. But she was more sluggish now. Torvald held his hand out and traced new runes, switching from Tree Arc to Sky Arc. He swept his hand out and a wave of compressed air sliced into Kinana. She flew backwards but another jet of air billowed behind her and sent her into the ceiling, where another gust began to swirl, carrying her with it. Using his right hand he traced the ancient runes for Mountain Arc, and as Kinana flew in the tornado he created he summoned up a huge pillar of molten rock that slammed into her. She stood at the ground, knees quivering, skin searing, holding up the pillar like Atlas held up the world.

"Fascinating, you're so strong for a child so young…" Torvald mused. He opened his mouth and roared. "Soul Tear!" His words rocketed towards Kinana and began to shred at her soul. A star constructed of pale crystal at Torvald's belt began to glow. "Your soul seems very valuable," Torvald cackled. "Give it to me!"

A crack opened in the gem. Then another. And another. Torvald looked down in confusion, to see his star shatter into hundreds of fragments. He gaped and looked back up at the girl who was staring back at him with those black eyes. The tower of stone began to crack as well, going from molten red and brown to a poisoned purple and black.

"It can't be… You don't use magic, you're a curse wielder!" The pillar exploded and Kinana bolted forward, her claws bared and glowing with venom. Torvald summoned a huge wall of snowy dirt but Kinana broke through it like it was soft cream. Torvald panicked and tried to use the wind to regain his advantage, but the wind died and became a poisonous lull as it contacted with Kinana.

"Pure Force!" Torvald bellowed, which worked in that Kinana slid back a few meters. It gave torvald a window to switch his Arc magics, and he jumped back to increase the distance between them. He knew that in a slugfest he was no match for the cursed girl. He kept the Sky Arc in one hand but switched back to Tree Arc with the other. An aurora conjured up at the ceiling while vines began to form a wall between Kinana and Torvald. Kinana began to tear through the vines, instantly killing any that fell under her poisoned touch.

The auroras began to dance above the two, and the runes along Torvald's body glowed with them. His muscles expanded, his skin darkened to a hot red, and his height increased. The magic around him all faded, but in turn his body glowed with the colors of the aurora. The light took solid shape and appeared as draconic scales, horns, and talons.

"Dragon Aspect!" He shouted, completing the transformation. He extracted a small dagger from a sheath at his hip, which instantly grew into an enormous blade of black steel swirling with the aurora's bright light.

"This is Gungnir! It was gifted to me by one of the first kings of Ishgar nearly a thousand years ago!" Kinana charge and swung at Torvald. Torvald parried with his blade, which to Kinana's surprise, held against her venom. With his free hand Torvald's illuminated fist connected with her temple and she fell back to the ground, spitting up purple and boiling blood. She returned to her feet and leered at him with her lifeless black eyes.

"It seems we're at a standstill," Torvald laughed. "But I will win in a battle of attrition." He surged forwards and swung his fist at the girl, who rolled out of the way. But Torvald spun on his heel and carried himself forward along that pivot point, swinging the blade at Kinana. She managed to duck under the blade, but it left a trail of light that sliced into Kinana's collar. She fell to her back and gasped, but the wound healed itself up almost immediately. She jumped to her feet and dodged another of his sword strikes, ducking under his swing to jab into his ribs. The force of the blow sent him back, but his skin was untouched. Kinana, on the other hand, watched as several shred wounds on her fist sealed.

"Maybe we aren't evenly matched… Maybe I'm the stronger," Torvald chuckled with a demonic grin. "My Dragon Arc is the greatest of the Arc magics, after all…" Kinana clenched her fists and charged forward again. She had to defeat him.

* * *

Macao and Wakaba stared up at the massive beast man anxiously. He used a magic very similar to Elfman's, but it seemed different somehow. Leman thundered into Wakaba, swiping at the smoker with a massive and clawed bear paw. It would have cut anyone else into several slices, but Leman had only attacked a smoke clone. Macao cracked a slight grin and launched several strands of sticky fire around Leman, but the bear didn't even flinch when it constricted him. The muscles bulged beneath the fur coat and the fire dissipated. With an animalistic gleam the werebear turned its attention to Macao and broke into a sprint on all fours.

Macao gasped and tried to roll out of the way but Leman managed to clip him on the shoulder, throwing him a few meters. Macao was winded, and could tell that there were a few broken bones in him now. Wakaba used a smoke fist to slam into Leman, but it had no effect. Leman began to laugh, which sounded more guttural now that he was in his feral form.

He stood over Macao menacingly, saliva dribbling down his furry maw as his teeth gnashed. Macao pictured Romeo in his mind, knowing that these were his last moments. Leman raised his left hand, his claws glinting in the dull light.

"Ha, what am I thinking?" Macao asked himself as he remembered Natsu finding him in the cave. Macao lifted his right hand, the unbroken arm, and shot flame into Leman's open mouth. The bear stumbled backwards, howling in rage. Wakaba summoned up a huge cloud of smoke around Leman, and rushed to Macao's side.

"Come on, we have to get out of here!" From the smoke a paw lashed out at Wakaba, catching him in the hip. The blades didn't cut deep but huge wounds ripped open in Wakaba's hip. He cried out and fell to his knees. "Cauterize this, Macao!" Wakaba yelled. Macao didn't hesitate, and spread burning flames along the hemorrhaging wounds. The bleeding stopped almost instantly, but they weren't out of the woods yet. The bear loomed over the both of them once again, his face scorched and burned by the sneak attack.

"Well, shit…" Wakaba muttered. Suddenly, one of the chandeliers from the ceiling toppled down into Leman and brought him to the floor. Macao and Wakaba looked at Leman, than at each other. And then they noticed Lia, standing at the end of the hall with her hand stretched in front of her.

"You can use magic?" Macao asked. Lia nodded slowly. Macao and Wakaba looked at each other again, but this time less in surprise and in a fierce competitive manner. "She's mine!" Macao whispered. Wakaba was about to reply but the warrior on the floor in front of them stood up, tossing the chandelier off of himself.

"You fuckin' sons of poxy whores, I won't be felled so easily! Take-Over, Feral Soul!" Leman, who had reverted to his original size by this point, began to grow again. Blades sprouted along his body, and his skin turned to a faded leathery gray. Bull horns grew from his temples and his frame doubled in width. He bellowed and charge at Lia. Her eyes widened and she froze in fear. Leman swung his horns, but they never connected. Wakaba ran across the hall with Lia in his arms. Macao launched more flames at Leman but they still did next to nothing against the monstrous adversary.

"Look, Lia, I know you're scared and that you've never experienced something like this before. Hell, you might not even know what kind of magic you use, but Macao and I can't beat this bastard on our own," Wakaba told Lia as he set her down. Leman had turned his attention to Macao, which gave Lia the time to consider her options. She nodded.

"I'll fight!" Macao slid under Leman, no easy feat given how many of his bones were broken, and stumbled towards Wakaba and Lia.

"Guys! Help me out!" He screamed as he trampled towards them. Behind him Leman's hooves stomped through the snow as he began to barrel towards the three. Lia held up her hands again, and all the metal in the room began to shake. She didn't quite know how to use her magic, but she had to try. The chandeliers along the ceiling all pulled out of their frames and flew through the air towards Lia. Scraps of metal that held bits of wood together soared free of their bonds and joined the wall of metal that stood between the three and Leman. Leman's Feral Soul might have super powered him, but at the cost of his awareness, and he instinctively tried to burst through the wall. The metal tore into his skin, cut him, and pierced him. He howled in anger as he skewered himself along the dozens of jagged edges of metal, blood spilling into the ice below by the ounce. He growled and his skin began to crawl, as magic engulfed him once more.

"He's transforming again!" Macao shouted as the metal began to fall away from Leman. He didn't look human, even vaguely. He was a twisted mass of horns, spikes, tusks, claws, and fur. And he was giant. At least four meters tall, and as wide as a train. They all looked up at him, quivering in fear. Leman raised a fist and brought it down. Wakaba's smoke clone exploded, and the very floor collapsed beneath the blow. The cobble fractured, the ground shook and snow flew everywhere.

"We have to run…" Wakaba breathed catatonically. Leman had survived being brutally gored, what chance did they have of beating him? Lia was the one who didn't hesitate this time. She dragged Macao and Wakaba onto a large slab of metal paneling that had come off one of the large wooden pillars, and held up her palms. She knew her magic was somehow related to magnetism, but she wasn't sure how to properly use it. She bit at her lip until blood was drawn, all the while she heard Leman huffing and trudging towards them slowly. She could feel him getting closer.

"Come on, work!" She shrieked. The makeshift sled finally jumped, and slid across the snowy floor until it sped right out of the main doors of the guild hall. Lia glanced behind her and saw that Leman was giving chase. Good, she thought to herself. All of the prostitutes (some of whom were regular women) and the defeated Fairy Tail women would be left alone. But that meant that it was up to her, along with these two pervs, to beat Leman. Things weren't looking too hopeful.

* * *

A huge ice spike ruptured from the snowy floor and effortlessly deflected a sand assault from Max. Jet swung his leg wide behind Søren but the snow wizard blew him away in a gust of snow. Each individual flake shredded into Jet and left him with dozens of tiny cuts. Droy, who was basically useless at this point, sat in the corner of the hall shaking and looking onwards horrified.

"What kind of magic is that? It's like Gray and Eve's magic!" Jet called out to Max, before sending a kick straight into Søren's chest. Søren collapsed into a pile of snow, and a huge ice orb smacked into Jet's side.

"Ah, Gray Fullbuster and Eve Tearm. Weaklings! Neither of them has pure elemental control, so why bother trying to control an element at all?" Søren flung a drill of ice surrounded by swirling snow at Jet, who was unable to move himself out of the path of the attack. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, but nothing happened. Max stood in front of him, holding up a shield of sand as the drill bored into it. Max cried out and the shield collapsed, but Jet managed to move his friend out of the path of the ice.

"You see, I command the winter itself!" Søren boasted. He flicked his right hand and a wave of ice crashed into the three. With a flick of his left a storm of snow ripped into them as well. He grinned madly and chuckled under his breath. The thrill of battle was so exhilarating that it overwhelmed Søren's mind and turned the normally quiet and reserved boy into a wild killer. "Aw, you aren't putting up much of a fight, now are you?!" Søren taunted.

"Shit, even with the numbers advantage we're getting our asses kicked," Jet grunted to Max as Søren continued to monologue to himself. He glanced at Droy, Max and around the room trying to find some sort of advantage they could exploit. But it was no good, Søren was in his element and he could create an advantage no matter where he went. Which meant they had to run.

"We have to get out of here, Max, make us some cover!" Jet commanded. Max nodded and sand began to swirl around him. Søren had finally stopped monologuing and noticed that the Fairy Tail wizards were up to something. The sandstrom grew and Søren suddenly lost sight of his opponents, but it was not problem for him. His blizzard swept aside the sand, and he saw the Fairy Tail wizards had left the room and were sprinting down one of the hallways.

"You can't run!" He exclaimed, and with a quick swipe of his hand the floor froze. Max and Jet smiled. Jet flipped one of the shelves on the wall over, and he Droy and Max all began to slide along the floor as if they were sledding, with Max shooting sand to speed them up. Søren's smile turned into a frown, but with another swipe of his hand the hall filled with snow and the sled stopped all together. The Fairy Tail wizards all got out of the sled and turned to face the end of the hall they'd just escaped from. Søren strode in confidently, staring the three down. Max looked at his friends and took a step forward. Jet gave a slight nod of his head to Max, unnoticeable to Søren but meaning volumes to the sand mage.

"You two, run!" Max shouted as he charged forward towards Søren. The wizard in question simply sighed.

"Well, play time's over I suppose." A huge gust of snowy wind knocked Max effortlessly up into the air and gored him against the solid icicles on the ceiling. Søren chuckled when suddenly he felt his wrists begin to sting. The man he had just killed disintegrated into sand and fluttered down through the air. Søren turned in shock but found he was unable to. From his elbow up was covered entirely in sand.

"A clone!" Søren scoffed in realization. Max, who was standing behind him, nodded before tightening his fist. The sand around Søren's arms constricted and began to swirl, each grain peeling of little bits of Søren's arms as it moved. In a matter of seconds Søren was howling in pain as his arms whittled away.

"I knew I had to get behind you, and that I had to incapacitate your hands. Since I first saw you in the plaza you've been using your hands to manipulate the weather, you use one for snow and the other for ice! I wasn't sure at first but when we tried to escape through the hall you proved it to me, and your cockiness let me get behind you." Søren fell to his knees as he continued to shriek in pain, his bones being carved into by Max' onslaught. Suddenly, the sand fell away to reveal two stubs where Søren's hands used to be. Max felt victorious but noticed Søren wasn't bleeding. "Jet, finish him!" Max yelled.

Jet surged forward and put all of his force and speed into his legs as he rammed both of his feet into Søren's chest. The blow connected, but Søren didn't budge. And Jet was stuck in position. Max' eyes widened as several spire of ice shot from Søren's back and pierced his shoulders and thighs. Max cried out and slipped off the blades, slumping into the snow. Jet looked down in shock at his feet, which were frozen onto Søren's chest. Ice crept out along where his arms used to be, forming new appendages. Søren gripped onto Jet's legs with his new limbs and swung him against the wall with tremendous force. Droy looked on the scene with tears rolling down his cheeks. He felt so utterly powerless. But he had to try something.

He tossed several seeds into the air, praying they'd work. But specks of snow tore into them and shredded all of Droy's hopes with them. Søren cackled and stood himself up, the mad look in his eye growing increasingly wild.

"You fucking fool, I own the winter! And the winter doesn't just exist on the ground!" Søren lifted his icy arms and scooped up all three of his enemies in coffins of snow. "Credit where it's due though, I can't manipulate the weather without my hands," Søren admitted. He grinned. "It won't save you now though!" And he flung all three of the coffins against the wall with such force that it collapsed before them, leaving them plunging towards the ice stockades and the mass of ice spikes.

* * *

The bullets ricocheted off of the hard armor, bouncing around the room as Fraki grunted. Snow belted out constantly, just as constantly as the bullets came. But Bisca and Alzack were dodging his Snow Armor with ease.

"I guess you aren't all pushovers," Fraki admitted. "Wood-Make, Mace!" A huge spiked ball of ironwood roared through the air towards Alzack, but he rolled underneath it and with his palm on the hammer of his gun a salvo of piercing shots ripped into Fraki's arm. Using his wood manipulation the armor of his bracer expanded to give him better coverage. From his other side Bisca requipped into her Tommy guns and began to churn the air with gunfire. His left side expanded to defend against the new threat, and he grunted as he held his ground beneath the torrent.

Laki ran forward, seeing an opportunity to get in an attack. She created a blade of wood and shot it at Fraki. With a slight smile the wood stopped midair and redirected itself towards Alzack, who barely dodged to the side in time.

"Laki, you might need to sit this one out," Bisca said as she hopped to Laki's side. Fraki shrank his shields and cracked his knuckles as he sized up the situation.

"I can't just sit this one out, Bisca. He's my brother, so it's my job to beat him." Fraki spun towards Alzack and the wooden plates on his knuckles shot forward, turning into little blades. Alzack tried to make a dodge but much like his tracking bullets they arced to follow his path. He gritted his teeth preparing for the pain but several gunshots rang out, and each piece of wood clacked to the ground with a bullet embedded in it. He glanced at Bisca who had her pistol raised and smoking, and he acknowledged his thanks with a small nod before he put his palm back on the hammer.

"Omni-directional shot!" Alzack yelled. The bullets began to fire off from all around Fraki, who covered his neck with his hands and expanded the armor to block it all. Bisca smiled and requipped her sniper rifle, aiming it straight into Fraki's chest.

"Piercing shot!" The extra large anti-material bullet roared out of the rifle and spun into Fraki, punching a hole straight through his armor and through the snow that build up. He cried out in pain, but the bullet didn't exit his body. Alzack stopped firing for a brief moment, which turned out to be a mistake. Several poles of wood shot out of Fraki's back and nailed Alzack in several pressure points, toppling him instantly. Laki sent a wave of wooden weapons out towards her brother who held out his palm and changed their course, smacking into Bisca. Laki looked at her two prone friends and bit her lip angrily.

"Give up, sister. Come with me, we can siblings again!" Laki trembled in anger and fired a huge surge of wood but they cruised right by him as if deflected by an invisible shield, ripping into the wall behind Fraki and revealing the early dawn sky over Magnolia.

"My brother and father died at sea!" Laki shouted in denial. Fraki stepped forward as the piercing bullet from earlier fell out of his chest. She glanced at it in surprise. "H-how…?" Fraki frowned and pulled at wooden chain around his neck, lifting a small necklace intricately carved out of his armor before letting it fall against his chest. There was a small impact crater in its center, but laki wasn't focusing on that.

"It's a replica of what I made for you the day I left," he told her. "Father and I were attacked by raiders, the same ones here in Magnolia. He told me to protect you, it was his dying wish."

"Well you sure did a great fucking job!" Laki screamed in rage. "You know what mother did to me! Do you know what I did to mother?!"

"You stabbed her to death and ran," Fraki said nonchalantly. "I came looking for you, and the town told me all about it. An eye for an eye make-"

"Shut the fuck up, you fcuking hypocrite!" Laki roared, sending a wave of pink wood at Fraki. He swiped his hand to block it, but it didn't comply. It hit him, sending him bounding through the snow on the floor, but he managed to keep his footing. Laki stared in shock, but after a second realized what had happened.

"You talk to me about killing, but you've been living with rapists and murderers for the past several years. It doesn't matter whether or not _you_ were doing the raping and killing, you were complicit!" She sent a huge cleaver of the pink wood towards Fraki, who held up his hands and caught it. The pure force sent him through the snow a ways but he kept his footing.

"How are you doing that?!" He asked in awe. Laki glared at her brother and took a step forward.

"That's Magnolia tree wood, you can't control wood you've never come in contact with, and the our trees are the last in Fiore! Wood-make, Iron Maiden!" A huge coffin of wood encased Fraki, and she heard him scream from the inside. Bisca and Alzack, who had been conscious the entire time, glanced at each other nervously. Sure, Laki was cruel, but this seemed a bit far. The iron maiden opened and Fraki fell out, his armor pierced in several places. He coughed up blood into the snow and looked up with a new fire in his eyes.

"Alright, I get it. I tried to keep father's wish, but if you have a new family then fine, good for you," he spat. There was a venom to his voice Laki had never heard in her entire life. "Fuck you, bitch." He raised his arms, and laki could see outside in the city the roofs all around began to rattle, boats in the frozen canals tore free of their icy bonds and every piece or scrap of wood began to float in the air towards sphere of gathering debris. "Wood-Make, Valknjöggr!"

The sphere began to churn and form into shapes. Four huge legs, a long bladed tail, enormous wings, a powerful neck and a demonic head adorned with great antlers. It was a wooden dragon. It roared powerfully, and bent its head towards the breach, allowing Fraki to jump onto it and stand atop its huge head. He crossed his arms and looked down at the city before him.

"If I can't have a fucking family, neither will you…"

* * *

Natsu tensed as he stood off against the man before him. He could feel a great deal of magical energy around the stranger, but he had no clue what it was. Ragnar looked across the snow at Natsu and noticed the slight change in his stance, from a wide base to a more narrow and coiled look.

"Natsu Dragneel, I've waited a long time for this moment!" Ragnar proclaimed, tossing off his cloak of wyvern scales. Natsu looked to Ragnar and then past him at the icy wall that separated him from Magnolia. It happened it the blink of an eye. Natsu's foot became engulfed in flame as he made a broad kick at Ragnar. The frozen raider lifted his arms to block and deflected the attack, the tremendous heat evaporating snow all around them. Natsu kicked himself away and sprinted in a wide arc away from Ragnar, towards the city. Ragnar's cocky smile faded and turned to an angry scowl as it dawned on him that Natsu wasn't trying to fight him.

"Salamander!" He bellowed and rushed across the snow. Natsu melted snow with each step but he still had a much slower pace than Ragnar, who threw an ice coated punch at the back of Natsu's skull. The fire dragon slayer suddenly ducked right and evaded the attack before breaking into a roll. He immediately positioned himself back on his feet, but instead of attempting to run he stood facing off against Ragnar for the second time that morning.

"You tried to fucking run!" Ragnar spat. "Is the Salamander a coward now?!" Ragnar jumped into the air and cupped his hands together. "Elbow of the Ice Dragon!" Natsu threw one of his trademark flame dragon punches towards the attack, not letting his surprise at Ragnar's magic throw off his tempo. The attacks met in the air and crackled against each other, neither giving any ground. The magic, much like air or water, relieved its enormous pressure by escaping out to the sides. In an explosion of magical energy Natsu and Ragnar both slid back in the snow, neither of their determinations waning for even a second.

Natsu went on the offensive, sending coils of flame from his wing strike attack at Ragnar. The ice dragon slayer barreled through them and with his shoulder impacted into Natsu. Natsu managed to stay on his feet as Ragnar shoved him through the snow and in one fluid motion pirouetted along Ragnar's side. The viking who had all the momentum but no resistance fell forward into the snow. Natsu capitalized on the brief second of peace and bolted for the wall, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to outrun Ragnar. And he was right. Natsu felt the magic power behind him before the blow landed and rolled forward, narrowly positioning below the strike zone of Ragnar's hook.

"You aren't the fucking Salamander!" Ragnar howled as he began to swing wildly at Natsu. The fourth master used his forearms to block each strike successively and using a window in Ragnar's attacks sent a flaming knee into his stomach. Ragnar gasped as his air retreated from his lungs and all the while Natsu widened his footing and gathered his energy.

"Sword Edge of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu surged forward through the air and spun into Ragnar, picking him up from off the ground. He flew through the air like a meteor, the heat and fire scorching Ragnar's blue hair and blackening his skin.

"Elbow of the Ice Dragon!" This time the attack connected. Natsu's move halted immediately as the strike slammed into his back. Natsu collapsed into the snow as Ragnar huffed, before snow began to move off the ground and into his mouth.

"You see, Salamander, I surrounded myself with wizards who can feed me eternally!" Ragnar boasted as his magic power spiked back to the level it had been before the start of the fight. Natsu frowned as he regained his footing. "What, not gonna talk! You aren't the Salamander!"

"Who the hell are you, my biggest fan?" Natsu asked tiredly. Ragnar scowled and ran forward, his Fist of the Ice Dragon smacking dead into Natsu's forehead. But he didn't fall. "Well, I wanted to get into Magnolia, but I guess to do that I have to get through you…" Natsu's magic flared. Gaping, Ragnar took a step back.

"You've been holding back this whole time?" Natsu responded by delivering a swift kick to Ragnar's midriff, and then gripping him by the beard Natsu swung Ragnar like a ragdoll into the snow. Wanting to expedite the process of finishing him, Natsu's flames began to crackle with lightning.

"Roar of the Thunder Flame Dragon!" The breath attack exploded out of Natsu's mouth violently.

"Shield Wings of the Ice Dragon!" Ragnar crossed his arms and a huge wall of snowy energy formed in front of him as Natsu's attack hit it. The snow shield collapsed instantly and Ragnar was engulfed by the thundering flame. Natsu slouched and began to pant as it subsided, but his heart sank when Ragnar stood up from the snow. He was burned in several places and his hair had been shortened, but along his body blue scaled protruded from his skin. Snow and ice flooded into his mouth from all around.

"Too bad you ain't got any fire to eat, fake-ass Salamander!" Ragnar huffed. He pulled a small bottle filled with green leaves and water from his hip and downed it all in one gulp. The burns began to fade into the light hue of Ragnar's regular skin, and his already muscular form began to grow. "This is the Wolf's Brew, we make it from a plant that grows only in Iceberg! It makes me stronger and amplifies my innate healing!" Natsu kicked himself forward and his fist found itself in Ragnar's chest who slid backwards in the snow.

"You talk too much," Natsu noted as he ran at Ragnar once again. Not distracted by boastful monologuing, Ragnar caught Natsu's fist mid air and smiled wildly.

"Seems like you're running outta juice, damn shame you ain't got any coming!" Natsu's free hand swung in an uppercut and cracked into Ragnar's jaw, sending him flying backwards until he landed in the snow. "Fuck, you aren't anything like the rumors said!" Ragnar whined. "Where's all the 'I'm fired up' bullshit!" He stormed through the snow and hunched over, slamming his shoulder into Natsu's gut. Natsu swung his fists wildly at ragnar's back as the viking powered through the snow, but Ragnar didn't stop until Natsu's back hit the ice wall. Natsu heard several of his ribs shatter beneath the blow.

"So, how does it feel to be beaten?!" Ragnar asked as he leaned over Natsu's prone body.

"You talk too much," Natsu repeated. A Fist of the Thunder Flame Dragon smashed into Ragnar. He bounded across the snow but never stopped, until he finally was buried in snow dozens of meters away. Gritting his teeth, Natsu dug his fingers into the ice wall using the mall cavities his fiery fists opened to move upwards. He reached the top very quickly and gazed out across the city. A huge wooden dragon smashed building, explosions sounded from across the city. There was ice everywhere, and screaming. Natsu clenched his fists in anger at the sight before him, furious that he hadn't been there to prevent this.

"Fairy Tail!" He roared at the top of his lungs. Across the city where the individual fights were taking place the volume lowered and everyone, Wolf Pack or Fairy Tail, looked to the top of the wall where Natsu stood wreathed by the dawn sun. "They've come into _our_ home, hurt _our_ people, and threatened _our_ family! We need to protect this city and our family, until the day that everyone lost on Tenrou returns! Fight together, as one! We'll prevail, because we're Fairy Tail!" Natsu held up the guild salute, flame crackling along his body as he was filled with new resolve. Every Fairy Tail wizard had heard him and they all cried out together in a triumphant call of defiance. Natsu looked back down across the other side of the wall and saw Ragnar, who looked unscathed, striding jauntily towards the wall.

"I'll be waiting for you on the Main Street!" Natsu bellowed. He turned and hopped down into the city. He wouldn't lose today, nor any day. Fairy Tail would prevail, as it always did.


	6. Chapter 6- The Hunt Climaxes

**Chapter 6- The Hunt Climaxes**

A fist to the head. A fist to the gut. A fist in the forearm and a fist in the chin. Ragnar and Natsu traded blows furiously in the snow as flakes fell around them. As it carried on Natsu exerted more and more energy, and although his attacks struck true Ragnar was just as tenacious as Natsu. He thrust his flaming foot up like a spear towards his opponent's head, but Ragnar deflected it with ease. The viking quickly wrapped his hands around Natsu's leg before the Fire Dragon Slayer could retract it and used his leverage to force Natsu into the snow. An armored foot cracked into the back of Natsu's head, and again.

Natsu's flaming aura pulsed and Ragnar withdrew his leg instinctively, giving Natsu enough time to jump to his feet and ready himself. Ragnar chuckled as his opponent faced off against him, breathing jaggedly. More snow streamed like a river into Ragnar's eager maw, before the raider slurped it up and licked his lips.

"I could do this all fucking day, Salamander!" He spread his legs and lowered his center of gravity, taking a deep breath of the air around him. The air in front of his mouth crackled alerting Natsu to what was about to happen. Natsu moved both of his hands in front of his mouth and calling deep into his reserves of magical power.

"Roar of the Ice Dragon!" Ragnar bellowed as a swirling cloud of icy fury poured forth into the air. It rippled and grew as the snowflakes in the air drew into it, and it encompassed Natsu instantly. "Ha, my roar can turn anything it touches to solid ice. Now all I gotta do is shatter the Salamander ice sculpture…" Ragnar was cut short as a tempest of electrically charged flame disintegrated his ice and covered him. His armor was melted and his skin charred as the energy surged around him.

The attack subsided and a panting Natsu clutched his knees. He raised his head and looked to Ragnar, and found that the wounded Ice Dragon Slayer was on his knees in the snow. The frozen water sucked up into his mouth, but even though Natsu could feel the increasing magical power he knew Ragnar was still seriously wounded.

"It's funny…" Ragnar coughed as the snow stopped. "Even though I'm just a lacrima Dragon Slayer, I seem to know more about our power than you…" Ragnar lifted himself to his feet shakily. "As long as I can stay in Dragon Force, I can beat you, whether or not my Wolf's Brew has worn off." With a speed that belied his injuries Ragnar rushed forward with a strong kick and slammed a fist into Natsu's torso. The hit landed and Natsu's back arched, but he kept his ground and gripped Ragnar's fist.

"It's funny how much you talk," Natsu spat as he glared at Ragnar from centimeters away. Ragnar tried to use his free hand to swing at Natsu, but the Fire Dragon Slayer quickly repositioned his arm and slammed his elbow into Ragnar's forearm, snapping it with ease. "There, ribs for an arm."

"Now that's what I expected from the Salamander…" Ragnar huffed as he lurched back away from Natsu. The two stood a meter apart and continued to breathe heavily, neither making another move. Natsu knew he was in slightly better condition but he had used all of his magic power. Without a boost he had no way of defeating Ragnar, who could keep delivering fatal strikes until one of them actually connected.

"I'm not the man you think I am," Natsu said. He hoped that if he was able to distract Ragnar, who he knew loved talking, the wounds he'd inflicted upon the viking would finally catch up and knock the man out.

"Man? I can compliment you for a lotta shit, Salamander, but I'll be damned if you're a man!" Ragnar scoffed. "You're probably still a virgin, aren't ya?" Natsu's eyes widened. He'd been expecting a lot, but that question had come out of left field.

"That has nothing to do with this," Natsu defended. Ragnar clutched his broken arm as he howled with laughter.

"Well that pretty much confirms it, now doesn't it?! Aye, what a shame. I gotta kill a boy who has yet to feel the pleasure of a woman's touch, but no matter…" Ragnar's good fist glowed with ice and Natsu scowled. The raider was as stubborn as a mule, he looked the same as when the fight had begun. Ragnar closed the gap and delivered several quick hooks, followed by a succession of jabs. Natsu tried to fend off the attacks but without magic backing him up he did very little to stop the onslaught of icy fists. Each blow left Natsu feeling more numb and cold, which depleted his already low physical energy.

"What's the matter?" Ragnar asked through sharp breaths. "Almost done?" Natsu stood before him. Barely. His knees trembled and his whole body quivered. But what unnerved Ragnar was the look of furious passion in Natsu's eyes. His body may have been beaten but his spirit was still blazing hot. And Ragnar had a feeling that this battle wouldn't be over until he'd defeated Natsu's spirit. "You've got dedication, what is it that keeps you going?"

"You fucked with my guild, and my city. That's unforgivable." Ragnar frowned. There was that word. _Guild_. A word he despised.

"Guess your guild was no match for the Wolf Pack," Ragnar chuckled. "We're closer than any fucking guild."

"That's not true," Natsu responded angrily. "Your 'pack' is a bunch of tools for you to use, you said it yourself. They create your food, you don't give a fuck about them."

"Shut up!" Ragnar roared. Ice exploded all around him as howled in rage. He could see it all so clearly. The long blue braid whipping in the wind in the field of blood. The barking of dogs. The scent of death. And fear. "Shut the fuck up!" Ragnar bolted forward again, fists raised.

* * *

Macao, Wakaba and Lia ducked around a corner as stone and wood flew into the air from where Leman had trampled a small market stand. Macao felt like he was on fire, his shattered ribs jostled and stabbed with each step he took. But his adrenaline was numbing the pain enough for him to continue. He had to. Leman roared from behind them, more man than beast. Wakaba summoned up a cloud of smoke as they took another quick right into an alley. But the plan was shown to be a useless move of desperation as the monster quickly rounded the corner after them, nostrils flaring as he tracked their scents. Lia's heart sank as she turned from Leman to the alley they had turned into. It was a dead end. The three stopped and backed against the wall as Leman thundered onwards, never breaking his pace.

"Duck!" Macao screamed as Leman thrust himself forward. Instanyl the wizards reacted and tossed themselves to the snow. The huge beast flew over them and rammed into the wall, crushing it as well as dizzying himself in the process.

"Now's our chance!" Lia shouted. She and Wakaba helped Macao to his feet as they took off in the opposite direction of Leman. The ground quaked under them, which meant Leman wasn't down anymore. They turned from the alley back into the market square and made their way towards the looming cathedral. Lia had a plan. Leman swept up a wheeled cabbage stand beside him and flung it towards his prey as he ran. The cart sailed ahead and crashed mere centimeters from the three Fairy Tail wizards, shattering even in the soft snow and sending wood and cabbages all around. Several pieces of the debris knocked into the fleeing mages but they didn't break their stride. It would be fatal to.

They hooked from the market square onto a larger street along the frozen riverbed, growing nearer to the cathedral. Wakaba and Lia hoisted Macao up and hopped down into the snowy ice. The injured man grunted as he was jostled but understood their plan well enough.

Leman hopped in towards them, just as they had hoped he would, and every step his huge bestial body took thumped against the ice. It wasn't cracking however. Macao tossed a fireball onto the snow, melting it down to the ice. The top layer of the ice slicked up with moisture and as Leman ran by his footstep let out a large snap as a huge line opened along the ice. But he didn't relent. Macao made a large line of sticky fire and dropped it behind he and his retreating companions as the river began to curve.

His rumbling steps opened more splits in the ice but it never caved beneath him. Macao cursed under his breath as they followed the river, closing in on the riverside segment of the cathedral. Lia looked to Wakaba and Macao and gave a slight nod, drawing out a circle in the air with her finger. Macao understood what she meant and quickly glanced at Wakaba. The group peeled off into two. Macao fired at Leman who bellowed in rage as the sticky flames clung to his tusks and sizzled at his leathery skin. They had gotten his focus. Lia ran to the edge of the river where it meant the road behind the cathedral and stuck both of her palms in the air, biting at her lip as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Leman threw a fist at the two and crushed Wakaba, but it exploded into a smoke dummy. His fist threw powdery snow into the air around them but it didn't dig deep enough to shatter the ice. As Leman swung at Wakaba, who either dodged or smoke-dummied his way out of harm, Macao began to lay out a ring of fire. Leman noticed him out of the corner of his eye and hammered one of his fists down, barely missing Macao but severing his fire chain. The damage was being done, however, as the snow had already receded down to the ice. Wakaba stormed forward and kicked at leman but was swatted out of the air like a fly. Several of his bones snapped immediately as he flew back and landed in the snow. Macao scowled but finished the fire chain, knowing now wasn't the time for him to break and leave behind his task. The ice slicked over as it had done before, and Macao grinned as Leman raised his arms over his head to smash down. Macao threw himself away from the strike as Leman's fists hit the ice. But nothing happened. Macao gasped and looked up in shock. The ice must've been thicker, he thought. Or he would've thought, as his mind was blanked in fear.

Leman loomed over him with bloodlust in his darkened eyes. The brute held up a fist and the claws along the knuckles glinted in the early morning sun. Macao closed his eyes and waited for it to end, his last thoughts being on his son Romeo.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Across the river Lia cried out in anger. The cathedral shook as her power overwhelmed it. With a loud clank a huge object soared into the air. Macao watched as the fist came down, but suddenly the air was filled with snow, ice shards and water. The bell from the cathedral rammed into Leman and crashed right through the ice with all of its momentum. Leman was trapped underneath it as it sank to the bottom of the deep canal, broken from the impact. Macao quivered and looked up at Lia, soaked.

"You bitch, you could've killed me!" He exclaimed. But she paid him no mind. She sprinted across the snow to the bloody heap lying some distance away.

"Hey, pompadour, are you alright?" She sank to her knees beside him and tried to examine the damage. There was a huge gash in his chest and several of his bones were jutting out. She cupped her hand over her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks. She glanced up briefly and saw that Macao was lying down, unconscious. She sobbed as she realized bitterly that these two complete strangers had suffered this much for _her._ Suddenly, a warm hand laid itself on her shoulder. She looked up at a tall silhouette.

"Don't worry child, they'll be fine. Rest." Lia's eyes shut as she collapsed in the snow.

* * *

They were tired. No, completely drained was a better description. Max fell to his knees as he fought to breathe, his stocks of magic nearly gone. It had taken a lot of power to use his sand to keep he and his friends from being skewered against ice, and even more to get them back up. But now they were back against Søren. He stood before them with a wild gleam in his eyes as frost clung to his oversized winter coat.

"Back for more?" He asked as his hands began to twitch. His mouth cracked into a sadistic grin and the snow began to swirl in the room once again. Max huffed and glanced up at Jet and Droy, who were equally winded. Thoughts raced in his head as he attempted to recall what he'd learned about Søren. He used Ice Make and Blizzard magics. Each hand was able to manipulate either snow or ice. If his hands were incapacitated than he could only fire ice directly from his body. That was the conclusion Max had come to, at least, he'd have to hope that it was correct because his plan counted on it.

"Let's go!" He yelled as he jumped to his feet. The adrenaline began to course through him once again as Jet and Droy formed in on his left and right. Max jumped forward towards Søren and swung his fist. Søren swung his right hand a flurry of sharp snow spun around Max, slicing him into pieces. But then Max disintegrated into sand. Søren's head snapped back and he shot a pillar of ice where he figured Max would reconstitute, based on what they'd tried on him last time. But Max wasn't there, and before Søren could react Jet delivered a powerful kick to his chest. Ice exploded forwards to try and skewer the runner but a layer of ice formed in front, deflecting the attack. Dory barrelled into Søren from behind with a thick coat of sand across his torso, saving him from the ice attack that ensued when he made contact. Søren cried out and fell to the snow. Max grinned but then realized he had forgotten to plan a way to incapacitate Søren's arms. A huge whirlwind of snow and ice spiralled through the room and swept the Fairy Tail wizards about. Max landed with a thud, grunting. He shook his head and looked up to see in front of him lay a small pile of sand that must have come off him, but oddly enough, one of Droy's seeds had landed in it. With a slight glow it sprouted into a miniscule plant. Max's eyes widened and he looked up across the room at Droy.

"You cannot defeat me, anymore than you could defeat a blizzard!" Søren cackled from the center of the room. "I'm one of the strongest members of the wolf pack! Only Torvald can boast power that can rival my own!" Søren glanced at the Fairy Tail wizards and noticed they were huddled up near each other, whispering. "You weren't listening to me monologue?!" Søren bellowed furiously. He raised his hands and began to once again brew his mighty storm. But he had barely finished repositioning his ice limbs when Jet kicked off against the wall and sprinted forward. Søren scowled and stomped his foot, causing the snow beneath his feet in a wide circle to harden to ice. Jet paid it no heed and broke into a slide, nearly instantly closing the gap between the two. He pushed himself up on his arms and used both of his feet like a spear, jabbing into Søren's jaw. The ice wizard cried out as the bone snapped, but even though Jet's attack had the desired effect he still found his feet frozen in place, and worse, he was frozen to the ground.

"You're gonna pay…" Søren moaned. He raised one hand but as he did a wave of sand rushed towards him. "That won't work!" He laughed, flicking his wrist.

"Oh yeah?!" Droy shouted. "Take this, Saguaro Assault!" Several seeds sitting on the end of the sand exploded and out of them ripped three enormous Saguaro Cacti, which erupted like a drill into Søren's brittle arm. He shrieked as his limb exploded into shards, falling backwards onto the ice. With a quick but erratic swipe of his left hand snow churned throughout the room again.

"How?! How did you get a fucking plant to grow in here?!" Søren roared as the storm grew ever more violent. The man stood up and began to pace back towards Jet, who looked up with a cocky grin.

"We took out your ice arm, buddy, what're you gonna do to me with some snow?" Søren scowled and flicked his hand down. The storm all gathered into a surging orb above Jet.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you," Søren said coldly. Droy and Max rushed forwards, both of them roaring as they trotted through the snow. Max threw out a huge slab of sand and Droy tossed several seeds into it. Søren looked up and noticed that the attack was aimed too high to hit him, and yet too low to hit his orb. What were they…? Suddenly, Jet snapped free of his icy bonds and swung an enormous upper cut into Søren's already broken jaw. The sudden momentum thrust him up into the air and the block collided with him. His icy shield once again ripped around the surface of his body, dispersing the sand as it did so. But he wasn't fast enough. From every side and every angle huge cacti sprouted from the sand and spiralled forward, impacting into Søren. His body caved in as each new cactus fought to grow to its full height, shattering all of his bones and turning his organs to jelly. Søren let out a blood curdling scream as he was battered to pieces, before falling in a mess to the ground below. The snow in the room all fell, the ice above on the ceiling began to drip as it melted. Out in the air of Magnolia, the cold ceased abruptly. The storm clouds faded, and the sun shone bright as it continued its ascent.

"Hey… he's not bleeding," Droy stated. They all looked down and realized he had spoken true. In fact, it was as if Søren's skin was fading. They sat shocked as in a matter of seconds Søren went from looking like a regular man to a thin and sleek ice sculpture. It resembled a human, but human it was not. "W-what? What is he?" Jet asked.

"An elemental," came a voice from behind him. From the doorway, Torvald hobbled in with Kinana over his shoulder. He had reverted to his frail and old state. Torvald put Kinana down gently and grinned up at the Fairy Tail wizards. "She's more powerful than any of you can imagine, I do believe she could've defeated any other member of Ragnar's little 'pack.' But her power isn't good for her…" Torvald flipped a circular and flat stone like a coin at Max, who caught it in his hands. A small purple rune blazed on its surface.

"What is it…?" jet asked slowly. Torvald shambled past the men and bent over beside the ice elemental.

"Her power is far too great for her young body, that rune will help her limit it." Torvald reached into Søren's chest and extracted a glowing sphere. His eyes watered lightly as he examined it in his shaking hand. "I raised the boy for twenty years… I don't think he ever even knew what he was…"

 **Twenty-Years Ago, A Glacier Far to the North**

His feet crunched through the snow with each step. Around him cold wind buffeted at his gnarled features and snow settled into his wild beard. He was naked in reverence. But he felt no cold. He felt very little, as he always did when making this pilgrimage. It had been such a long time ago, but Torvald remembered when he first came to this remote corner of the North. It had been far less remote back in those days, of course, but ice shelves are fickle. Torvald glanced at his flesh, frozen and purple. He scowled. It was the flesh of a human. Humans were loathsome. He heard the screams, the crashes, the thunder, and the loud roars. He was alone, and the only sound around was the howling wind. But in his mind he saw and heard so much more. With each footstep he progressed deeper into the revery.

* * *

The armored sentinels bellowed and swung massive flails and clubs into the storm. Men charged through the dense snow kicking up flakes as they howled like wolves. Mammoths shook the ice with each of their massive steps and men mounted on massive northern wolves prowled the flanks. And at the back of the massive army, he stood proud. He was as tall as an ogre and broad as a troll. Both of these descriptions fit him better than man, for man he was not. By appearance, perhaps, but he was a monster.

General Haraldsson's armored mammoth trumpeted loudly as his teal armor glistened in the dull light of the dawn. His red greatsword glowed as his fingers toyed with the grip. The General had been given special permission by the ruling dragon of Iceberg to hunt down and eliminate any race that wouldn't bend the knee. Many had already, such as the sentinels, giants, trolls and the likes. But the elementals would not. The General had already genocided nearly all of the elementals, both in Iceberg and across the rest of Ishgar. Here in the northern most point of the world was where they hailed from originally, so it was where they finally fled.

A huge wave of whirling jagged ice ripped from the snow and smashed into the cavalry. Dozens of the troops wailed as they were ground to pieces, but the response was immediate. The surviving cavalry rushed forward to the enemy trenches but a flurry of ice spikes fired out across the flatland and dropped the oncoming assault instantly. Blood ran red through the snow as the footsoldiers sprinted their way across the field. Several druids, human allies of the elementals, worked their arc magic from within the trenches. Tree trunks and roots slapped around the grunts in the field and several explosions began to surge around throwing snow and bloodied human into the wind. It seemed that the elementals had the advantage.

With a roar from the sky two huge wings flapped as a spout of flame burst into the line of trenches. Elementals melted into nothingness and the druids were charred as the creature circled back towards the human lines. The General grinned as his son flew by atop the wyvern. The grunts flooded the trenches and the elemental line collapsed. The rest of the army quickly followed up and the battle quickly turned into a slaughter.

Elementals began to retreat in the hundreds, sprinting their way back past their trenches across flat lands. They were effortlessly advanced upon by the charge of the General's army. Mammoth tusks swung, sentinels punched and the wyvern scorched as the elementals were brutally demolished.

A young druid, tall in stature and muscular in form slowly stepped with purpose against the tide of elementals, walking towards the human army. His hands began to trace runes in the air and an aurora began to form in the cloudy sky. He flicked his wrist and the aurora gathered into a singular beam which pierced the wyvern and exploded into the snow. Then it exploded a second time and incinerated a quarter of the attacking force.

"Torvald!" The General bellowed as dismounted from his mammoth. The druid, a young Torvald, drew Gungnir which began to glow with ancient power. His eyes shone as did the runes along his half naked form. "Ah, you have the old king's blade," the General noticed as his enormous greatsword dragged through the snow. Torvald knew this was a foe he could not best, but he had to save time for the elementals to escape past the barrier. Torvald's skin turned a bright red as his Dragon Arc activated. The General's eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on the greatsword. Torvald struck first. He moved at a blinding speed and swung his blade at the General, who made no attempt to block the attack. The attack connected but the sword didn't pierce the General's armor. Torvald's eyes widened, but then the counterattack came. Torvald raised his weapon in time to block the brunt of it but the force of the blow was so powerful that several of Torvald's bones snapped immediately. Torvald fell backwards and panicked as he saw the General move to finish him swiftly. Using his spoken word of force Torvald attempted to push back the General, but the brute before him shrugged off the magical assault. He stood over Torvald and set his blade in the snow centimeters from the druid's face.

"Magic is weak," he stated. "You have lost." Torvald's face spread out in a wide grin.

"I never intended to win, General. They've gone. The elementals are safe now…" The General looked up from Torvald across the field of ice, where a large ring of bright green light shone into the sky. "It is a sacred ground, no being can enter there without being cursed." The entire army halted before the wall. The mammoths trumpeted in discontentment and backed away from it, as did the rest of the beasts.

"And if we enter…?" The General asked slowly. Torvald began to chuckle as his arms bled his life into the snow.

"You'll be cursed for as long as you live!" Torvald suddenly felt himself lifted by his beard. He grunted in pain as the General pulled him through the snow.

"We'll both be cursed together, then, Torvald." They entered beyond the wall. It was a beautiful grove filled with tall trees, pools of cerulean blue water and pale light. All the elementals gathered there; men, women and children; looked up in terror. The General dropped Torvald and raised his sword, his face emotionless and stoic as ever beneath his helm. Torvald watched in mute horror as the General single handedly ended and entire race, tears pouring down his cheeks as he fought to keep the air in his damaged lungs.

"And so it ends, Torvald." The General raised his greatsword and struck it down into Torvald's chest. The grove was full of death, and it had been tainted by the presence of this genocide. The trees were mere wisps of their previous selves, the water was blacked and the light seemed much dimmer. Torvald felt the last of his life leave him, but as he did so an enormous voice ruptured from the skies above.

"You have entered sacred ground!" it bellowed. "And for this both of thou shalt be cursed hereafter! Torvald the druid shalt live forever as all his heart holds dear crumbles to ash before his eyes! And for the slaughterer who holds no respect for the earth, he shall forever be imbued with the earth within him! For the rest of his life and the lives of all of his descendants!" The General's veins constructed and began to glow a bright blue. He howled in pain as his entire figure lit up and the ground began to tremble beneath him. Torvald felt an enormous magic power flood the General, the likes of which he had never felt before.

"I-I'm… Magic?!" The General roared as the power continually ebbed into his body. Magic revolted him, and now he was full of it. He screamed at the top of his lungs in rage. The earth and ice beneath him all rose up and began to crackle, the air swirled around him and the world itself began to contort with rage.

"The World Arc magic shall be forever in your blood!" The angry god cried at last as it faded. The General stood trembling upon his tower and he stared down at his army in contempt. Then he looked back to Torvald. It was irony, the man who hated magic most in this world having been gifted one of the world's most powerful magics. The General let out one last fit of anger, before he and his men receded into memory.

* * *

It was Torvald's centennial pilgrimage to a place of tragedy. The tower of earth and ice stood where it had stood all those centuries ago. The wind was especially violent this time of year, and many of the corpses of elementals were littered about exposed from their icy slumber. Torvald knelt down in the snow in reverence, and as he did so his eye caught a slight shimmer from the snow. He reached out and pulled it free with a tad bit of effort, and held it in his palms carefully. His eyes widened. It was a lacrima, not the kind that was used in the modern day to amplify magic, but one of the ancient natural lacrima. Elementals had lacrima inside their bodies, and they were born out of them. This was an active one, and all it needed to be awakened was a small push. Torvald whispered a word of magical power into the lacrima, filling it with life. In his hands it went from a small sphere of ice to a living being. Unlike a human baby it wasn't stumpy or fat, it was lithe and angular much like an adult. He held the tiny being in his hands with a broad smile, filled with happiness he had not felt in a millenia.

"Søren…" Torvald breathed. "The last elemental… I'll always protect you."

 **Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Present**

Torvald felt a tear roll down his cheek as the light in the lacrima from Søren's chest dimmed. He should have known better than to get attached, he had been cursed to lose anything he held dear, after all. He stuffed the lacrima in a pouch and stood up very slowly, recomposing himself.

"You humans are absolutely deplorable creatures." He turned and strutted out of the hall, leaving the three wizards and the prone body of Kinana to themselves.

"Hey, good job back there Max. You really saved our asses," Jet chuckled. "Our magics work pretty good together, huh?" Max nodded as he flipped the stone around in his hand.

"Yeah, in fact, I think you'd be a great member of Shadow Gear," Droy added. "We _are_ short a member…" Max smiled lightly as he set himself down against the wall. Finally a chance to relax.

"I'll think about it, I'm a little overwhelmed as it is." Max looked from his guildmates to the stone again. "I don't think we should give this to Kinana."

"I agree, that guy's our enemy," Droy agreed. Jet looked at the stone and then at Kinana and pondered.

"Well she does seem to have a hard time controlling her poison stuff, and besides, why would he bring her back in one piece if he wanted to fuck with us?"

"Who knows, Jet. But what I do know is that we can't be too careful." Suddenly the guild hall shook. The three gazed out the hole in the wall into the city where an enormous beast of wood stomped past them. Several explosions ran along its carved hide but it didn't stop the beast.

"Man, it hasn't been our week, has it?" Max sighed.

* * *

Laki flung a crescent of the redwood towards her brother, who ducked beneath it and tossed a spinning disc of his grey ironwood back in retaliation. She sidestepped and summoned a cascade of wooden weapons that rained down on her brother but he shielded himself from the attack with ease. The beast they stood upon took another massive step and their battlefield shook, knocking them both off balance momentarily. On the ground beneath them Alzack rushed to dig through the fast melting snow, evacuating any and all residents of Magnolia before the draconic creation of wood trampled them.

"Stop this," Laki commanded as she sent another flourish of wooden weapons in his direction. She refused to refer to him as brother, or even his name for that matter. To her he had been turned into something that she could no longer recognize. Fraki's face was completely devoid of emotion, and with an apathetic look in his cold eyes the ironwood on his bracers expanded to deflect the blow. He stormed forward and the wood on his knuckles expanded instantly, slamming into Laki's abdomen, winding her. She gasped but used the slight opening to toss a slab of the Magnolia wood into Fraki's head. His nose crunched as the cartilage broke and he fell backwards. Laki expected his snow shield to activate but when it didn't she suspected keeping the enormous carved dragon was sapping his magic power immensely. The wood at her feet began to curdle and crawl up her ankles. She tried to move out of it but it had already stuck. Ahead of her Fraki got to his feet and two axe blades formed around his bracers.

He took one step towards her as the wood continued to wrap itself around Laki's body. The another as she was forced to her knees, her whole torso keeled over to reveal her pale neck. Another footstep. Laki could feel the vibrations in the wood. Suddenly her eyes opened as the she could feel the power of each fiber of the tree course through her. She felt the sapling to the tree to the house roof it had been. She saw her brother without seeing him, feeling where he stood upon the felled tree. She felt the shift in his weight which meant he was readying to behead her. She willed the fibers to life and without time to react Fraki was struck by a pillar of wood square in the groin. He was tossed across the back of the dragon and crashed near its huge head. The wood slid off Laki and she stood mightily.

"I gave you a chance to give up." Laki raised her hands and the antlers of the dragon bent and gripped Fraki's arms, lifting him and holding him in the air between them. His face finally gave way and she saw the seething anger in his eyes.

"You think you understand, cunt?" Laki frowned and suddenly two spikes of wood ripped through the body of the dragon and stabbed into Laki's hands. She cried out in pain but didn't release Fraki from his prison. Blood covering his face Fraki scowled and sent several more spines that ripped into her flesh. She wasn't able to will these away like she had been able to the others.

From way below Bisca peered through the scope of her rifle and bit her lip. She wanted to leave this fight to Laki, seeing as how it was a family matter, but she couldn't sit idle as her friend was murdered before her eyes.

"I still love you, sister," Fraki announced as another huge spire rose and stopped at her throat. All of the spines retracted suddenly as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I can't do it…"

A gunshot sounded. His chest caved in and blood spattered across the back of the dragon. The huge beast began to collapse as Laki slumped to her knees, staring forward at the mangled corpse of her brother. She was confused. She began to fall as the wood beneath her crumpled but in her mind she had already fallen. Her emotions were a distorted mess. She wasn't sure what to think of this whole situation. She felt warm arms catch her but her eyes were fixated on the bloody mess in the snow surrounded by broken wood. She watched in surprise as the corpse raised its hand ever so slightly, trembled a bit, then fell back down. She could vaguely hear Alzack calling her name but his voice didn't penetrate the layer of distress that had enveloped Laki's mind. She fell out of his arms and walked desultory to the body in the slick melted snow. On a small piece of wood in front of the hand that she'd seen faint letters were etched into the planking. **Journal**. Laki recalled the wood-covered journal he had left in the library. Should she seek it out and read it? What would be the point, it was written by a man she couldn't even call family. Or was he still family and she was so blinded by hate she couldn't see it? She knew he was destroying the city but she didn't know whether he would have stopped. Maybe him dying was the safer option. But maybe it wasn't. She began to cry. Tears rolled down her cheeks but she was completely silent. It was a lot to take in.

Bisca approached Laki and embraced her from behind. No words were shared but Laki felt the hug. It was more comforting than any words could be. There were no words that could have been spoken here that would have had any effect on Laki. They stood like that for a minute, before Laki leaned back into Bisca.

"I need to rest," she said quietly. Bisca nodded and scooped Laki up in her arms. As the older girl began to walk Laki found herself once again staring at her destroyed brother. Since the death of her mother she had tried to convince herself that she enjoyed suffering and gore, but there was nothing she felt here other than despair and misery. And regret. She could have done so much to prevent this. But deep down Laki knew that the only way to move was forward.

* * *

They faced each other and huffed. Broken and bloody. But there was one major difference. Ragnar looked drained and tired, but Natsu still had fire in his eyes. A fire that the onlooker had not seen in a very long time.

"Could he be…?" Torvald breathed. There was only way to find out. Natsu and Ragnar both felt themselves enveloped with light and their wounds began to mend themselves. In front of the both of them a rune was etched into the ground glowing with the elemental power that corresponded to each dragon slayer. The snow around was rendered unusable to Ragnar with the death of Søren. Neither of them understood why all of this was happening but neither did they really care. They were focused only on each other. The magic flooded into their mouths and they digested it quickly, both of them activating dragon force with a huge flair of energy. But Torvald wasn't sure a simple duel would be test enough. Natsu would win it in a heartbeat. Torvald's body glowed as he channelled his knowledge of the Dragon Arc words. If he gave away this magic he could never get it back, but if the plan worked then it would be fine. Torvald had found the dragon he needed.

Ragnar glowed as his body was covered in scales of light. He could feel his power strengthening. He widened his base and roared. The icy wall of his dragon breath was thrice the size than when Natsu had last seen it. The flakes sizzled into nonexistence as they cascaded around Natsu, but the sheer brunt of the breath slowed Natsu down as he trudged forward. Then the breath stopped and in a very Natsu-ish fashion Ragnar had closed the gap, swinging a mighty fist covered in the light of his Dragon Arc and glowing with frozen power. Natsu held up his arms in an X shape and blocked the attack. He surged with heat and electricity, the magical power that enveloped him was so great that Ragnar was flung backwards. And Natsu was still on top of him.

The Fire Dragon Slayer swung a fast hook of crackling fire into Ragnar, who's shield of ancient power broke under the immense force. He followed with a jab straight to Ragnar's face which shattered his nose and knocked out several teeth. Then a knee broke Ragnar's ribs and sent him into a tree which snapped. Ragnar stood up to see Natsu standing before him, legs spread and hands in front of his mouth.

"Roar of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" The magical breath exploded from Natsu's mouth and enveloped Ragnar, who began to scream in pain. Torvald looked from his perch and grinned.

"He'll do just fine…" The attack subsided and Ragnar lay on the ground, unconscious. Natsu guessed he was still alive, and he figured it was best to let the magic council deal with this sort of thing. Suddenly, a strange light began to glow from Ragnar's body which began to flood towards Natsu. Natsu gripped his temples and began to see memories he hadn't previously had. No, not memories. It was as if he'd been imbued with knowledge of an ancient magic. He looked up as the ice walls around Magnolia toppled and the enforcement branch of the council charged in. On their heels was the relief force. Natsu sighed and cracked his knuckles.

"Time to head home…"

* * *

"Ah, it seems you have had the great fortune of being visited by a being much more superior than yourself," a strange and flamboyant voice said. Ragnar couldn't see, but he had a feeling it wasn't good.

'Who am I? Oh good, I had been hoping you'd ask! I am the amazing and spectacular God Serena! And at the moment you have something that I want! Of course you can't speak at the moment, in your state, so I'm sure you won't object to me taking _this_ to add to my collection…"

Ragnar felt cold hands jab at the base of his neck. Then suddenly there was a seething pain. He tried to scream but his lungs couldn't muster it as the invader dug deeper into his flesh, reaching for the dragon slayer lacrima. It was yanked out harshly as Ragnar felt his senses dull and become numb. It was funny that he was dying here in the cold, not in battle. But he supposed he should thank this man in the afterlife, he was rather hoping he'd die before his elder sister fulfilled her promise to him. As he drifted to sleep he recalled the last several years of his life. Meeting Torvald and Søren after they'd found him in the wastes of his tribe. Torvald had given him the dragon slayer lacrima in hopes that Ragnar could somehow defeat the heir of Haraldsson. Ragnar couldn't defeat his older sister but he dreaded losing the power. She had promised to kill him, after all. Torvald had been a good caretaker, he let Ragnar raid and rape and pillage to his heart's content. Ragnar let out one last breath as he slipped out of the world. Free at last.


	7. Chapter 7- Diverging Paths

**Chapter 7- Diverging Paths**

Laki ran her finger along the line of book spines, tracing the soft leather as she walked. She felt for the graininess and hard texture of wood, but it was such an enormous library that she was having a fair amount trouble. Bandages twisted around her limbs and pressed at her flesh tightly but she was alive and for that she was thankful. Her eyes were red and her nose was damp as her mind wandered to her brother, who unlike her no longer had the luxury of being able to walk, to see and to feel as she was. Yet again she could hear the voices in her head waging war over the morality of Fraki's death. Had he been condemned for attacking innocents? For trying to kill her? Surely, the answer was a resounding yes. But nobody in Magnolia had died by Fraki's hand, though he was complacent. Fraki had been merciful to Laki when he could've killed her. He could have killed any of the women of fairy Tail or let them be subjected to rape at Russ' hands. But Fraki had done none of these things. But that could never absolve him of his cardinal sin. Abandoning Laki.

She was a tad surprised in herself, that that was the main grudge she held against her deceased brother. The original abandonment that had started this roller coaster of a life Laki lived. Of course one half of her thanked him for it, it had led her to Fairy Tail after all. But still, he had left her with _that_ woman. Laki was torn. And confused. Everyone had offered her their sympathies or their condolences. Everyone but Bisca and Natsu. Bisca seemed apologetic but never spoke of the matter. As Laki continued to move she realized it was because Bisca could say no words. Bisca had pulled the trigger and ended Fraki, she had made the judgement and acted. Whether she was right or wrong could never be seen, but she had done what she had to do. Then there was Natsu, who seemed to have a better understanding of Laki's feelings than her own.

" _You loved who he was, and you lost the opportunity to ever regain what you had. That's why you're crying. A guilty man died yesterday, a man who would have killed you and your family. So grieve for what was, but stay strong and be ready for what comes tomorrow with a smile on your face…"_

And then he had grinned at her in a way she hadn't seen since before the Tenrou group went missing. But it was more than Natsu's ignorant and boyish smile, it had a fatherly and caring appeal to it just as Makarov's had. Laki wished she was as strong as Natsu. Suddenly she felt it. But it wasn't what she expected. It wasn't rough like the ironwood her brother wore, it was soft. She lifted her fingers and saw that there was a black smudge on the tips. Hanging out of the bookshelf was a large wooden journal, but on the spine was a small necklace made of… charcoal. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was. The necklace her mother had thrown in the fire. But how? How had he gotten it? She pulled the journal out of its spot in the shelf vigorously and sprinted towards the nearest table. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she fumbled to open it, examing the neat ink as she flipped through the dates. She went as far back as she could, and began to read...

 _Fraki's Log, Day 3_

 _We stopped in my hometown today. Søren seems nice enough, a little shy but I like him. Torvald creeps me out, he's the only one of us that's not a kid so I have the sinking suspicion I've just been pressed into bondage. But I know that can't be because of Ragnar. Ragnar is scary as all hell, he's so cold but quick tempered. Ragnar was the one that killed my dad, but he spared me. I have no clue why and neither does Torvald, who keeps talking about how humans are a disease. Not like he's a human or anything. But today I stopped by my house and was horrified. The townspeople were all surprised to see me and they all got quiet whenever I mentioned my family. Nobody was at my house. I don't know where they went. My sister's necklace that I made for her was charred ashes in the fire, I could feel it. Torvald taught me a little magic and I was able to reconstruct it._

Laki kept reading and noticed the pages were splotched with slight stains, which she could have only guessed were the tears of her brother. Beads of water from her eyes dribbled down past her chin and splashed onto the marks made by her brother years ago, pitter pattering on the page and completing an ironic circle.

 _They told me my sister killed my mom about a month ago and ran off. I told them they were crazy, it was my mom who would have killed my sister. But the more I think about it the more I realize it has to be true. I wasn't there for her. She gets so violent when she's in trouble and without me to calm her down I fear she could have done something horrible. I hated my mother, but nobody deserves to have their life extinguished. The ease with which my new companions kill scares me. Torvald talks about how natural life is sacred, so what's the difference between a human life and anything else? Aren't they both sacred. I vow to never take a life. Never._

Laki finished and began to flip through the pages again, searching for his most recent entry. She cut her thumb against the sharp edge of one of the leaves of paper but paid it no attention. She found it and began to read again.

 _Fraki's Log, Last Day_

 _She's awake. They all are. I've been dreading this day for years. She hates me. I know she does. I can't say I blame her though. I would hate me too if I were in her shoes. But it doesn't matter what she thinks of me. She's alive and healthy, surrounded by people who love her. At least I hope they do. They'll find a way to escape, I'm sure. And when they do I'll test them to see how far they'd go for her. And maybe they'll even be able to grant my final wish. Who knows? This is probably my last day on this beautiful green earth, and I've honestly led a good life. I hope my sister has too. We have a lot in common. We both had it tough as kids, we both left our family and we both killed someone. I think she's taken it better than me though. God. I loathe myself. I made a vow after I joined Ragnar and Torvald to never kill but I couldn't keep that promise. Life is sacred. Which means my time is nearing an end. I just hope it isn't my sister who kills me, she's already a kinslayer._

 _Oh, and if you ever find this Laki, know that I love you. I'm a horrible person. I stood by as these wolves raped and murdered for their own benefit and never once tried to stop them. That makes me a murderer and a rapist. I was once hoped to find you again and to escape to live a new life. But I killed one of my best friends. There's a great tree in Iceberg, hidden away from the world. Some say it's the first tree to grow on Ishgar. There's a map in the necklace I repaired for you that leads to it. They say that you can learn everything there is to know about magic there. I doubt it, but if it really is a one of a kind tree than you can learn to manipulate and create its wood. That'd make you pretty strong, strong enough to always protect yourself and the people you care about. I love you with all my heart, and the thing I regret most in my life is leaving you. I shouldn't have left with father. But the choices we make are final. Look forward with hope and make your life the best it can be. Live it well for all of us. For Dad, for me, and hell, even for mom._

Laki buried her face in her hands. The sobbing wouldn't stop. She cried loudly, making noises as she fought to keep it all down. But she couldn't.

* * *

"I'm worried about Laki," Alzack said to Bisca. They sat beside each other in the main hall, the only two members of the guild who had been relatively unscathed in the battle. Of course there were a fair number of wizards in the hall with no injuries and no wounds to be seen, but those wizards had also neglected to join the main force in retaking the guild.

"She needs time," Bisca responded. She wasn't remorseful about what she'd done, Bisca knew pulling that trigger had been the correct decision. They heard shouting and they both looked uneasily towards Natsu's makeshift office. They knew he was talking to that Saint, God Serena or whatever. Bisca once again scanned the massive room and felt a sudden throb of despair. SHe didn't know where it came from or why it had come, but she couldn't shake the feeling.

"Hey, Alzack, let's go out on a job…" she suggested. Alzack nodded in agreement and the two stood up. Bisca figured a job would distract her. Or at least she hoped it would. The two rose from the table and made their way to the request board. They took a place beside Nab, who as per usual was having difficulty finding what he considered the perfect job for him.

"I have it!" Nab screamed suddenly, tearing a request form from the board. "A job that's just right for me!" He began to exclaim in happiness, jumping and contorting in a very odd fashion. Both Bisca and Alzack sweat dropped, as what was before them was certainly an unfamiliar sight.

"Ummm, what kind of job is it?" Bisca finally asked. Nab grinned and held it up with one hand triumphantly.

"An old monk out in the wilderness needs the help of an animal spirit wizard to help him!" Alzack examined the form very carefully and looked back up at Nab.

"Well, it's definitely within your realm of magic, and it has good reward money but… But it's really vague. It doesn't even say what this guy needs help with."

"Well it's a job that I'm perfect for, and that's all that matters," Nab responded. "Alright, I'm going to go gather my things. Let Natsu, or the Fourth Master I guess, know that I'm gone." And with that Nab strode down the cobbled hall with a spring in his step. Alzack and Bisca looked at each other and then chuckled softly. It was good to see some high spirit in the guild hall. And apparently it was good for everyone else too. The once quiet and reserved hall began to bustle with laughter and conversation once again, even from those injured.

Out across the hall Lia sat with Macao and Wakaba drinking energetically. They were bandaged, cast and slung all various ways but that didn't stop them.

"You know I was hella trying to use my looks to get the ice kid to let me out, damn he was an innocent dude," Lia chortled as she downed another pint.

"So you're a manipulator then," Wakaba said accusingly as the little bits of exposed cheeks flushed with drunken color.

"Believe it or not I have great tits," she slurred. Wakaba slammed his cast wrapped arm onto the surface of the table as he puffed his pipe.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lia sighed and leaned back in her chair, sticking an arm beneath her chest so that her breasts had some vague relation to shape underneath all of the wrappings and gauze.

"I sure could use a refill," she said in a sing song voice. Wakaba and Macao glared at her, but after a second both stood to their feet.

"Hey, could the lady get a refill?!" They both exclaimed in unison. Then they both looked at each other and engaged in a contest of passive aggressive glaring.

"I can't wait to join this guild!" Lia laughed.

Yes, everyone's spirits were up. Max sat with Jet and Droy as they talked over where Max would be getting his Shadow Gear tattoo. Meanwhile Warren sat in a corner crying as his only partner left him for a cooler group. Even Kinana was out and about, of course her injuries prevented her from doing any of her bartender work but she sat behind the bar vigilantly even without the ability to serve.

Bisca and Alzack smiled. Then they returned their focus to the job board. They glanced at a few mundane ones, but then one spotted Bisca's eyes that reminded her of something a long time ago.

"Look at this one, Al." Bisca pulled it off the board gently and held it between the two of them. It read:

 _Help Wanted_

 _A group of magical bandits have raided my casino boat, and my regular guards weren't up to snuff to guard my profits. I need some wizards to act as security for a month while my boat makes its way through Ishgar. And magicians are welcome as long as they know how to hold their own in a fight._

"Reminds me of when I used to hold up billiard halls," Bisca said with a light chuckle. "But it has a really nice reward, three hundred thousand jewel is nothing to scoff at for a non S-class job."

"For sure. And it can't be that hard. Let's do it!" As they spoke, the doors to Natsu's office slammed open and God Serena danced his way out of the guild hall gaudily. Everyone's eyes followed him as he pirouetted and sang his way out, always keeping the focus. As the door slammed shut Natsu finally emerged from his office. He was significantly less bandaged than the rest of the guild, but he still wore some cloth where Ragnar had injured him significantly.

"That guy was a dick." Natsu then made his way to the bar where the girl manning the counter slid him a fiery ale.

"What did he have to say?" Bisca asked as she and her partner made their way from the board to the bar.

"Well I'm not gonna be a saint, because I left so damn fast and without doing any paperwork. Which I don't regret, by the way. But apparently I could have been because Jura was so strong that he became the fifth wizard saint, which meant I could have been the fifth wizard saint because I beat Jura. Of course my win over Jura was a complete fluke, but I suppose the council thought it counted. Long story short I'm not a saint, so it is what it is. I came back and we saved the city, so to repeat myself, I have no regrets."

Natsu downed his ale and then placed the tankard back on the counter. He scanned the hall and grinned as he saw everyone.

"Oh yeah, by the way, Nab went out on a job," Kinana said. Natsu coughed and if he'd had any ale it would have been worthy of a spit take.

"I'll be damned. Well, good stuff I guess. We'll still have some money coming in even with most of our people incapacitated."

"Speaking of which, we're gonna head out on a job too," Alzack remarked. Natsu looked up at him and nodded.

"When are you guys taking off and how long are you gonna be gone?" Natsu drummed his fingers on the wood of the counter.

"We'll probably leave tomorrow morning," Bisca responded. Natsu nodded again and got up.

"Good. I've got some stuff to go do, I'll be back in a little while." Natsu then made his way out of the guild hall.

* * *

"You guys sure as hell did it fast," Natsu said brusquely as he pulled a flaming kabob off of a spit. The three figures who sat around the table with him all were cloaked and hooded and prodded at their food much more slowly and nervously.

"Is this really the best place to meet?" The hooded woman asked. "Nobody in your guild would know me."

"It's not a risk I wanna take, the council doesn't need any extra excuse to disband us," Natsu responded through a full mouth. "Plus I was hungry."

"Seems you haven't changed at all," the hooded man chided. Natsu looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"Speaking of which, any of your memories come back?" The hooded man nodded in response and looked about.

"Yes, and I want you to know that I apologize for everything…"

"No, it's my fault," Ultear interjected as she lowered her hood. "I was the one who brainwashed him into thinking that Zer…"

"But I still made people suffer and for that I can never atone," Jella cut in. Natsu began to laugh. They all looked at him awkwardly.

"God, you guys are fuckin funny. Tryna see who's fault it is. It's everyone's fault. And nobody's. It happened, no changing that. What you do about it in the future is what's important." Jellal grinned and looked at Ultear and Meredy.

"Forget what I said earlier, you seem like a new Natsu." Natsu frowned and put down his food.

"Yeah… I guess I am." There was a slight silence that lasted for a moment, but it ended as Natsu reached into his pocket. "Now this may be a lil prejudice of me, but seeing as how you guys used to be dark wizards…" Natsu placed the small stone that Torvald had given Kinana onto the table. "Can any of you tell me what this is?" Jellal eyed the stone and then picked it up in his hands, carefully running it between his fingers. The rune engraved on the surface of the stone glowed with slight power and Jellal's eyes widened.

"Well I'll be damned… There's an entire century's worth of magic all in this little stone…" Ultear glanced up at jellal in shock and then looked to the stone.

"What do you mean? Like magical power?" Jellal shook his head and put the stone halfway between himself and Natsu.

"No, not magical power. A very specific kind of magic. I don't know what, exactly, but I know that it's powerful. My guess is that when one reads the rune and takes the knowledge into oneself, than whoever did so would gain complete mastery of the magic on this stone." Natsu stared at the stone as connections formed in his mind. He recalled the instant he'd beaten Ragnar and the knowledge of the Dragon Arc had flown into him. It must've been the same.

"Alright, thanks for your help with that," natsu mumbled as he slid the stone back into his coat. "What do you guys plan on doing now?"

"Well it's funny that you mentioned what we're going to do about the future and all. Since our crimes are unforgivable Ultear, Meredy and I are forming an independent guild. It'll exist outside the realm of other guilds so that we can avoid the laws that would otherwise prohibit us from carrying out our mission."

"And what mission would that be, Jellal?" Natsu inquired.

"We're going to destroy dark guilds and bring them to justice," Ultear announced. Natsu looked at the three and smiled.

"That's a great idea! What are you guys gonna call yourselves?" The three suddenly sweat dropped and began to mumble amongst themselves.

"C-Crime Sorciere," Meredy finally cut in. Natsu gave them the thumbs up and then stood up.

"Well, it was great to see you guys. Good luck out there. If you ever need anything let me know, I'll meet you here and we can discuss it."

"Thank you, Natsu, it means a lot to us," Ultear said. Natsu grinned and shook hands with Jellal.

"No problem, without this guys I might not even be alive." And with that Natsu excused himself and exited the restaurant.

"Ummmm… Does he expect us to pay?" Ultear asked slowly.

"Same old Natsu," Jellal laughed.

* * *

It was late at night. She crept through the halls slowly with light footsteps. Her soft shoes made little noise along the equally soft carpet, but Laki still felt as if each of her footsteps was a thunderclap. Her heartbeat in her eyes as the adrenaline pumped. Her eyes still stung, she'd spent most of the day crying. But now she had made a decision, and it was a decision she wasn't too sure about. Her heavy backpack tugged on her shoulders but she didn't notice it. What she feared most now was being caught. Being confronted. Having to really decide. But she sort of knew what would be in store, and it would be better for her to keep going down this path she had made for herself. The map her brother had drawn was grasped firmly in one of her hands as the other clutched at the strap of her pack. She was very unsure, but she knew that whatever became of her in the coming years would drastically affect her character. And she hoped when she came back, because she knew she would be coming back, that they would accept whoever it is that returned to the hall.

As she rounded the corner into the lobby of Fairy Hills her heart sank. Sitting on one of the large sofas wearing a nightgown and sipping a cup of what Laki guessed was coffee, was exactly who Laki hadn't wanted to run into. Bisca looked up and stared Laki in the eyes. What was in those eyes was hurt and concern.

"Laki…" Bisca began. She opened her mouth to speak again but no words came out. Once again she was at a loss. But she had to say something. "Don't leave," Bisca said, her voice cracking and tears welling up in her eyes. She tossed the cup behind her and stood up. Laki looked at her feet as her lip quivered. She didn't see Bisca but Laki knew she was being embraced as the cowgirl's warm arms wrapped around her.

"I-I'm not leaving the guild," Laki managed. She wasn't crying, but her voice indicated she was on the verge. "I'm just going f-for a little while…" Bisca tightened her grip and nodded slightly, which Laki felt as their cheeks brushed up against each other.

"When are you coming back?" Bisca asked. Laki sniffled and finally returned Bisca's hug, and the two intertwined.

"I don't know. I'm going far away in the north. I-I… I think I'll find myself there…" Laki finally let it out. It wasn't an animalistic bawl like when she'd read her brother's journal, it was quieter. More subdued. The tears came but Laki made no noises, she still breathed naturally. But there was a sort of melancholy about it all.

"Well, when you come back, I'm sure you'll be a really strong wizard," Bisca stated. Laki untangled herself from Bisca and smiled, even whilst the tears streamed.

"When I come back, I'll be a wizard that you, Alzack, Natsu and everyone else can be proud of." Bisca shook her head and pulled her bandana from behind her.

"You dumby, we're already proud of you…" Bisca held up the cloth and offered it to Laki. Laki took it in her free hand and looked from it back to Bisca.

"You guys are my family. I'll never forget that 'til the end of time." Bisca nodded, and Laki turned. The purple haired girl made her way out of Fairy Hills and trekked out beneath the stars.


	8. Chapter 8- The House of the Rising Sun

**Chapter 8- The House of the Rising Sun**

The sun crept slowly over the horizon. The dark land began to recede into the far reaches of the swamp, bring with it the insects and their various cacophonies, the predators of the water and the night flowers that were a sight to behold. The murky dark water and eery vague trees were coated with light and took on a whole new image. The water glistened a pale cerulean and the entire green riverbed became visible, the trees brightened and the vast willows swayed in the early morning breeze. Flowers of the lilies that sat in the slow moving water blossomed and bloomed as the dragonflies buzzed overhead. At the end of the vast wetland a powerful and swirling delta spilled the crystal clear water into the deep and majestic ocean, and all around the delta boats hustled and bustled along to their various places. Fishermen came and went with empty and loaded nets, vast shipping barges crept their way into the shallow water laden with freight, and small yachts and sailing boats allowed for the citizens to spend time over the water on a hot day. But what sat between the vast delta and the immense swamp was the jewel of the region.

The city was ancient, but hardly any remnants of the old town remained. The great flooding had flooded it and only the tops of the tallest stone towers peaked their crowns over the waterline. Huge platforms of stone and wood floated with magical lacrima, partially submerged, and stirred only slightly. Boats meandered through the maze of canals through the town and bridges were strewn around to connect the platforms. And at the center of it all sat a huge circular gap of water. It was normally empty, but this month something special had sailed into the city.

It was as big as one of the barges but barge it was not. It had the luxurious image of a yacht, but yacht it was not. The ship anchored at the center of the city was enormous and beautiful, made of wood yet ornately carved and lacquered. But what was truly impressive was what sat on its deck. It looked like a temple of wood, with high spires and beautiful stained glass windows. But all along it lacrima made the surface dance with light. Several gangplanks connected it to the city and all sorts of wealthy and poor alike strode onto its regal deck to participate in what took place inside. In the day it wasn't as assuming. But this ship took on a whole new light at night.

Bisca and Alzack looked up at the ship as the sun rose higher in the sky. They had been told that when the sun set and the moon sparkled the ship was crowded and filled to the brim with gamblers and bettors and a whole slew of conniving con artists. As of now it was mostly empty, but there were still quite a few men and women inside gambling. They stepped onto the gangplank half expecting it to sway or rock but it held perfectly still and stable, and the two ascended towards the magnificent casino ship. The deck itself was sparse, there were a few tables placed sporadically underneath the masts. The temple of sin and lies laid before them taking up more than two thirds of the ship. It was as tall as a three story house and as wide as a manse. Outside several guards sat with blades on their backs, guards who Bisca and Alzack knew from the request weren't capable of deterring magical threats.

"You two the wizards?" The first guard asked as he took examined his fingernails. Bisca and Alzack nodded and the guard glanced at his partner. "Guild marks?"

Bisca and Alzack both revealed their insignia, proving their identity. The guards then pulled up the red satin cord that sat between the ornate entry way and the rest of the deck. The two entered slowly and looked about, wanting to take it all in. It was still mainly constructed of wood, but inside gold plating and fine marble columns meshed seamlessly with the hull. Chains of magic lacrima lights hung in various patterns along with the regular chandeliers to cast a vibrant sheet of light across the room, and the walls were lined paintings and works of art from all corners of the globe. But nothing prepared the two for the next room.

Calling it a room was an understatement. It was as large as the guild hall on the inside, lined with vast rows of craps tables, roulette wheels, card tables, slot machines, and bars. There were raised platforms all around connected to the walls, each with several glistening chrome poles. Alzack blushed slightly as he put together what they were for. The room was much darker than the hall they'd been in, lit by the multi-colored sunlight let in from the stained glass and rainbowed by the magical lacrima lights. Against the back wall in the center stood the biggest of the stages. Above it sat half of a sun, which glowed faintly. It was because of this sun that the casino owed its name. The House of the Rising Sun. At each side of the stage a spiral staircase made of crystal slabs ran upwards to a second story on which the wizards spotted several round tables as well as small rooms separated from the rest of the floor with red satin curtains. They rose to this floor and got a better scope of it. There were two bars, each at separate ends of the floor. Near the back sat two iron double doors behind which was a busy kitchen. Several of the tables, the ones closest to the railing that looked down into the main room, had poles that rose from them into the ceilings. Against the walls were the private rooms that gain elicited a blush from Alzack. And lastly there was a large staircase that went from the center and climbed to a vast dome of gold that hung upside down from the ceiling. That was where Bisca and Alzack were to meet their employer, and also where the casino kept its vast hordes of treasure and wealth. They looked up at it and gulped.

* * *

He wasn't what the two had expected. They had expected short, squat, with an exaggerated mustache or some other goofy facial feature. But this man certainly didn't scream 'goofy' when they saw him. He was huge, easily the size of Elfman if not bigger. He was burly as well, with his white button up barely containing the unattractively huge muscles rippling along him. He had clean cut black hair and a slight five o'clock shadow coating his angular jaw line. He had black slacks and crimson red suspenders that hung by his waist as he stared out of the gold which acted as a see through mirror down into the casino. Bisca wasn't initially sure why they were needed to defend the place, the impression she got from this man was that he'd beat anybody with his own fists.

"You're pretty, any chance you'd like to come on as one of my dancers when your contract ends?" He asked. His voice was devoid of emotion. It was stark and to the point. Alzack clenched his fists and tried to take a step forward but Bisca held him back.

"Thank you, but I'm afraid I won't be able to accept." The man nodded very slowly and deliberately as he moved back to his desk. Behind his miniscule mahogany station sat an enormous cage filled to the brim with bars of gold, silver, and other precious metals. Spheres of jewels and gemstones hung in the air inside the cage glistening, and of course there were cubes upon cubes of paper money all neatly compressed and bound together.

"I've read about you two. Gun wizards. Good magic to have. Bisca Moulin is a sniper…" He swept to files off of a stack and opened the first. "You haven't been on a job in five months so I have no way of knowing whether or not your abilities have increased but for the moment you seem like an excellent fit. There's plenty of high ground for you to utilise in the casino, and since there's only one way in if anybody attempts to enter my palace you'll have them like fish in a barrel. Alzack Connell is much shorter range and only uses one gun. Still a good fit."

"Umm excuse me? The wizard who robbed this place last, what kind of magic did he use?" Alzack asked. The man looked up and pulled another folder from his stack.

"He was able to camouflage and look like his surroundings. We caught him and brought him to justice but he was able to make his way out of here with several billion jewel before he was apprehended. There's no guarantee that it will happen again but this particular city is known for cutpurses and thieves, and I'd like to be safe rather than sorry when it comes to wizards." Bisca looked around at the dome and then down at the casino.

"But how did you guys ultimately catch him? Since you couldn't see him…" The man smiled for the first time. His teeth were razor sharp and covered with a diamond grill.

"Luckily we have a security dog on board who sniffed him. If he had the ability to use more powerful magic I'm sure he would have gotten away. Anywho, if you go through the kitchen there's an elevator that leads below decks. The lodgings are quite spacious and comfortable," he said as he slid a pair of keys across the desk. "Dining is on the second floor, and for you it'll be complimentary. Help yourself to any of the entertainment options provided by the casino, they'll be free of charge. All except the machines and tables, that is, if you want to gamble you're gonna have to be willing to bet something. Any questions?"

"No, I think we're good," Alzack responded as he and Bisca stood up. He extended his hand and the man took it, shaking it firmly. "Oh, and by the way, what's your name?"

"Me? They call me Galleon," he replied. With a wave Bisca and Alzack exited the golden dome and began to tread across the stairs down towards the second floor. The huge clock embedded in the rising sun ticked and arms appeared across its surface. It was already evening.

"Damn, that was fast. Want to get some dinner?" Alzack asked his partner. "The entertainment and gambling isn't supposed to start until the sun sets, so there's not much else to do…"

"Well the slots are open, but I wasn't gonna play them anyway. Sure, let's grab a bite to eat."

* * *

"It's so we blend in," Bisca assured Alzack as they walked into the hall. Below decks was in fact spacious and comfortable, just as Galleon had promised. They walked across the soft carpeted floor, both of them wearing formal wear. Alzack had on a fine three piece suit with a black jacket and pants and a teal vest that coated his white button-up. His revolver was inconspicuously tucked in a shoulder holster beneath his various layers of garb, which was perfect for their assignment. Bisca had done her flowing green hair into an ornate braid that hung over her right shoulder which complimented her crimson dress nicely. It hung to her quite tightly and had on it a slit that ran along her legs, which she'd figured she'd need if pursuing a thief became necessary. It went high onto her neck and wrapped around her neck, exposing the sides of her chest and her shoulders. As they walked along they saw hordes of young women exit rooms all around them, most dressed in pyjamas and with no makeup at all on them.

"Those must be the dancers," Alzack whispered to Bisca as they began to join the flow of the women through the hall. As they progressed the larger main hall diverged into several smaller halls, and while Bisca and Alzack kept to the center aisle most of the women began to split off and head down separate walkways. It wasn't long before the two were the only ones in the hall.

They ascended in the elevator, both occasionally stealing glances at one another awkwardly wanting to size each other up in the fine garments they wore. The elevator finally clicked and they made their way through the large tiled kitchen, across a divide where waiters moved through with carts and trays. They pushed their way through the iron double doors and were shocked.

The casino had taken on a completely new air. Light no longer shone in through the stained glass windows, all that lit the enormous cathedral of chance was the lacrima and chandeliers from the ceiling, as well as the shine from the rising sun. The room was filled with laughter, music and smoke. Huge crowds gathered around the slots, the tables, and the bars. Cocktails in all kinds were cradled by the patrons, of which Bisca and Alzack indulged several. In the center stage a band was playing a bluesy jazz song, of which many people in the large space in front of the stage danced along drunkenly. Bouncers and conventional security roamed through the crowds, making sure the peace was kept. The two made their way down the crystal spiral staircase and descended into the noisy rabble. Cheers rang out as many of the raised platforms began to habitate with half clothed women. Bisca felt a tinge of jealousy as she noticed Alzack stare intently at each platform they passed by. And she always knew where his eyes lingered. The voluptuous breasts, the sculpted thighs, hips and posteriors. Bisca knew she had those things too, but she wasn't some slut who'd bare it all. But at times like these she wish she did if it meant Alzack's attention. Several minutes passed when the dancers all retreated from their separate stages and the band stopped. It was then that several spotlights from up above shone down onto the red curtain in the center stage. The pair made their way over just as the band began to hammer away on their keyboard.

The curtains pulled open slowly and smoke began to pour out onto the stage, coating it in a thin blanket. Then a feminine silhouette stepped into the light. The saxophone wailed away several notes before the woman was finally illuminated. She was tall and curvy. Her red hair was in a dense and curly bob, and her purple dress sparkled.

"You've got me wrapped around- your little finger…." She sang out in a smooth and seductive voice as she swayed her way across the stage. A single chair sat on the center, on which she leaned herself. Her cleavage became all the more visible at this point, and yet again Bisca watched Alzack gulp visibly.

"If this is love- it's everything I hoped it would be…" She spun the chair sideways and raised one leg onto it, running a hand along her thigh. She then kicked over the chair and raised her hands, holding them high.

"You've got me wrapped around your- little finger... " She brought her hands down caressing her hips as she did so, before stopping at her calves.

"You will see…" She spun her knees and switched her angle, before she rose back up and protruded her ass slightly as she did so.

"By words just how much you mean to me…" The saxophone cried out in its seductive blast as she sent the crowd a wink. She straightened her stance and suddenly Bisca saw that the glitter of her dress wasn't because it was a dress. Several of the shining purple specks fluttered off of her body, exposing her toned midriff and giving a more plentiful view of her shapely thighs.

"When we kiss…" She began to lean forward very slightly, pursing her lips into an almost kiss. "It's as if…" She placed her hands on her thighs and leaned even further, giving another good look at her whopping cleavage.

"Our lips agree…" She flipped herself backup into a straight stand and her bob quaked. "That we are meant to be..." A cheer rose up from many voices in the crowd. She brought her legs in close and began to bump her hips back and forth.

"When we touch…" then she began to roll her sculpted and alabaster hips. "It's too much…" As she continued to move her hips she raised her arms. Coordinated with her movements more of the purple specks fluttered off her chest until her globular breasts were exposed, each with a purple tassel to cover her nipples. The crowd roared in approval. "Oh the sparks that fly- Are lighting up the sky…" She began to sway her chest in a circle, the tassels spinning along with her.

"You've got me wrapped around- your little finger…" She sang as she moved across the stage, spinning the tassels. "If this is love, it's everything I hoped it would be…" She ceased the spinning and stood in place. "You've got me wrapped around- your little finger, if this is love…" She shimmied her hands across her breasts and the tassels faded into nothingness. Her pink exposed nipples glistened, perfect accentuations on her orb-like assets.

"It's everything I've been dreaming of…" She then slowly but seductively turned, and strutted off the stage. The crowd went wild, hooting and cheering as the regular music returned and the games began again. Bisca turned to Alzack who was petrified in place.

"I think I need to go sit down…"

* * *

Bisca sighed as she began to walk through the crowd in the opposite direction of Alzack. She made her way to one of the bars and sat herself dejectedly on one of the stools. A pretty bartender with short black hair smiled at her.

"Don't be sad, every time one of the featured dancers comes on the men run for the hills, they really are pigs aren't they?" Bisca wasn't quite sure how to answer, so she gulped her bourbon thirstily. She pushed the drained glass away from herself and tapped her fingers on the surface of the bar. The lady across from bisca slid another which Bisca again drank quickly. Her head numbing, Bisca finally began to speak.

"It's so fucking frustrating… I have a body just as nice as that whore up on that stage, but he never pays any attention to me!" The cowgirl whined. The bartender grinned as she poured another for Bisca who took it up greedily. A man in a suit came by the bar and leaned in, looking at Bisca lustfully.

"Hey pretty lady, you here all by ya'self?" He asked.

"Hey, look's like you're getting plenty of attention to me!" The bartender chimed in. Bisca pushed the third glass away from her as she rolled her eyes.

"Fuck off," she murmured to the man as she requipped her pistol facing towards him. The man quickly scurried away. Bisca sighed as her firearm disappeared, leaning down into her hands. She didn't notice the burly figure of another man take up the seat next to her.

"Gimme the biggest bottle of the strongest liquor ye got," he barked to the bartender. He slammed a wad of jewel onto the bar as she produced a tall and thick bottle full of clear white liquid. Bisca looked up lazily and sized him up. He wore a large brown trench coat, underneath which he wore a white three piece tuxedo. He had messy brown hair atop his head of which a small braid fell along his temple. He had a beard that clung tightly to his jaw line, running along it all of the way. It stayed separate from the mustache that sat atop his upper lips.

"Ya use guns then?" He asked nonchalantly. It took Bisca a moment to realize he had been talking to her.

"Why?" She questioned. The man shrugged as he uncorked his bottle and took a hefty swig. He swiveled on his stool and leaned back against the bar, looking out across the casino.

"I saw ya pull a gun, requipping was muh assumption. But can ya use magic ammo?" He took another gulp and he looked towards her intently. She couldn't pinpoint his accent, but it sounded very very foreign.

"Yeah, and so can my partner Alzack…" Bisca slurred. The man nodded.

"Partner, ya two from a wizard guild?" Bisca looked at her empty glass and then up at the bartender.

"Yesh… We're supposed to be security so no other wizards can rob this place," Bisca finally managed to spit. The man got off of his stool and grinned.

"Good ta know," he chuckled as he walked off into the crowd chugging from his bottle. Bisca frowned and looked down at her glass, which had become full since she'd last seen it. Oh well, it didn't matter to her.

Meanwhile across the casino, up in one of the VIP booths a man in green suit jacket and matching green pants looked up at the beautiful woman before him. It had been the very woman that had performed on the mainstage not a half hour before. She closed the red curtains and looked down at him. He brushed his brown dreadlocks out of his face and grinned.

"Malcolm says that they've got two gun wizards here, Sarah. One boy and one girl." The redhead, Sarah, snickered as she put together his thought process.

"Let me guess. You're going to seduce the girl and you want me to seduce the guy?" the man in front of her snapped his fingers in acknowledgement. She looked down at him and examined him, he certainly had a nice tan complexion and an attractive face, and he had a very well toned and muscular physique that hung out of his mostly unbuttoned green jacket. "So what's the contingency plan?"

"If you can't seduce the boy, which if you can't is seriously shocking, kill him. As for me, I have less faith in my ability to woo an exotic beauty from Alvarez, and even less confidence in my magic's ability to kill her before she could kill me. But I can certainly distract her for long enough for Malcolm to do what he does best."

"When do we start, Fox?" Sarah asked. Fox intertwined his fingers and grinned again.

"Tomorrow night is the last night of spring. We strike then." Sarah nodded and retreated out of the room. As she left Fox stole one last look at her marvelous ass. Even if they were comrades Fox couldn't deny it was one of the best he'd ever seen. "God I'm a loser," he chuckled as he eased back into the recliner. Down in the casino Malcolm looked up and saw Sarah looking down at him from the second floor, and with several quick hand gestures he was clued in to the plan. He glanced up at the golden dome and grinned as he drank the last drop of his liquor. He'd heard that this place had never before been successfully robbed. Tomorrow would be a historic day, in that case.

Up in the dome Galleon looked down upon his kingdom, but in his heart there was only fear. Tomorrow would be the day. The anniversary of his pact. In a few hours he would see if the spirit had been telling the truth or not, and his addition of wizardly security would be truly put to the test. He gripped at the collar of his shirt as he recalled all those years ago, the boat, the river, and the slow banjo music that filled his ears as the spirit rose from the water. It was the first time he'd ever felt fear.

* * *

Out in the swamp as the fireflies buzzed and the melody of the river sung out its beastial tune, the water stirred. The frogs hopped away and the crocodiles swam as fast as they could. The peaceful water began to flow slowly at first, but soon quickened its pace. Deep in the murky black water two yellow orbs peered out across the swamp to the vast city glistening in the moonlight. A banjo struck a chord and the swamp became silent.

* * *

Bisca and Alzack hadn't spoken to each other all day. Alzack felt horrible about it but felt that his partner needed more time before he could approach her at all. Her bad mood would only be worse considering she was hung over. Alzack stood on the second floor and leaned over the railing, peering down into the smoky darkness below. It was again night, and once again the casino was filled with noise, smoke and alcohol. For a brief moment his eyes spotted a burly man in a large brown trenchcoat, wearing a green headband and puffing a cigar. There was something oddly suspicious about this man.

Malcolm glared up as he let out a large pillar of fumes from his mouth adjusting his stogie. The black haired boy was still up there watching vigilantly. Malcolm glanced around and couldn't see Sarah. He scoffed and played with the hem of his trenchcoat. It was a pain in the ass hiding his cannon and if they weren't quick about their plan he'd be spotted for sure. Malcolm cursed under his breath but after another drag of his cigar he calmed himself enough to sit down. He'd wait.

Meanwhile bisca sat at one of the card tables watching as the game unfolded. She herself didn't play, but she was entertained by the exotic looking man dealing the cards and watching people's fates change in the blink of an eye. There was a certain fascinating aspect of it all. She felt a tap at her shoulder and she turned quickly to see one of the casino workers looking at her shakily.

"T-the boss told me you have to be on watch, and to not get distracted. He said tonight is especially important…"

"Did he say why?" Bisca asked, very peeved. She was hungover and didn't like being told what to do. Especially when it made no sense. The worker shook her head and scampered off. Bisca sighed and looked back to the table. The players were gone and only the dealer sat across from her. He stared at her intently as he shuffled his deck, a deck which seemed strangely different from the one he'd been using before.

"Care to play?" He asked. Bisca looked at the deck then up at the dome. She figured it wouldn't hurt. She nodded and the man smiled. He laid a glowing blue card at the end of the table and then began to deal the deck between the two.

Up on the second floor Sarah glanced down at Fox's table and saw he'd laid out the blue card. It was her signal. She sauntered her way across the carpet, wearing only her lingerie and stood next to Alzack, leaning over the railing to accentuate both her breasts and her ass.

"Hey there," she purred. Alzack cocked his head to look at her and his face immediately turned as red as a tomato. "You want a private dance?" She asked as she leaned in close to his ear. Alzack tried to find Bisca amongst the mass of bodies to keep himself focused but to no avail. He felt himself stir down below and slowly nodded at her. She giggled and took his hand.

Malcolm looked up and grinned. He stood up from his seat and took another heart drag from his cigar as he ascended the crystal stairs. Tonight would be an easy night. Everything was falling into place. He rose to the second story and made one last quick check. The green haired girl was still playing Fox's shitty card game, and Sarah had just closed the curtain in the private lounge. He put his cigar out on one of the wooden tables and began to make his way toward the staircase that led to the dome.

Alzack was having trouble calming his breathing as Sarah reached for the clasps behind her back. She undid them audibly and placed her hands over her nipples as the cloth fell to the floor. He gulped as she slowly approached him. She began to sway her hips as she came closer, a smirk covering her face. She arced her legs over him and slowly set herself down on his lap. Alazack gulped as she hovered centimeters from her face. Her alabaster skin glistened with oil. She felt Alzack's hard member beneath his trousers and she began to grind slowly as she let her breasts spill free. Alzack made a quiet squeal like that of a dying rodent. Sarah laughed.

"Wanna touch em?" Alzack reached out and cupped them. They were huge but were firm to the touch, though silky smooth against his fingertips. He inched his face closer to them but suddenly his partner crossed his mind. He was flooded with guilt and without stopping to think he pushed Sarah off of him.

"No…" He wheezed, standing up. Sarah frowned and reached up into the rafters of the private booth, and before Alzack knew what was happening she pulled out two large blunderbuss'.

"Should've enjoyed it while it lasted, kid."

Malcolm extracted the cannon from his cloak and tossed off the heavy garb. It was an actual cannon from an actual naval vessel, of course now it had been powered with Malcolm's magic to be vastly more deadly than before. He stuck another cigar in his mouth and lit it with the fuse of his cannon before he aimed it at the entryway to the golden dome.

"Meltin shot," he muttered as the cannonball ripped forth and rammed into the gold, exploding into green and bubbling acid that boiled the vault door. The gold dribbled down and left a man sized hole. Deep inside Galleon turned around in shock.

"No!" He screamed. "Not tonight!" Galleon turned around, expecting to see the horror that had haunted him for ten years. But it wasn't.

"Hey there, fucker, I'm here ta take your shit," Malcolm stated as he shouldered his cannon, taking a puff of his stogie.

Bisca looked up as the molten gold rained down. She stood up and requipped her rifle, aiming the scope up to try to get a better view of what happened. Fox didn't let her get a peek. He flung a gold card at her and she suddenly found herself paralyzed.

"You're not stopping us," He cackled as he pulled several cards from his deck, each of them varying in color. Bisca found herself able to move again a moment later, and just as Fox readied to toss another card she requipped her shotgun and dove behind a slot, firing a salvo in his general direction. Beside her a circle of cards erupted in the air and Fox hopped through, tossing a red card that exploded and opened several cuts along Bisca's skin. She pumped the shotgun and fired another wall but he evaded with ease, before drawing another card from his deck.

Up on the second floor Alzack ducked behind a table as another spray of fiery bullets whizzed by him. He would certainly have been dead if Sarah hadn't paused to cover her top. He clutched the grip of his revolver and aimed it upwards. A glowing gold bullet blew out and exploded into blinding light. In one fluid motion Alzack rolled out from behind the table and quickly found Sarah dazed. He stuck his revolver upward but one of her blunderbuss' shot a large ball of lead from its barrel, which bounced from the ceiling and clipped Alzack's shoulder. He howled in pain and ducked behind a bar for cover.

"You can't run, and you can't hide!" Sarah laughed as she raised her blunderbuss'. "Furious Fire!" Huge waves of flaming scrap metal began to come forward, tearing apart the bar, the bottles of liquor, and everything in the path of the salvo. And it didn't stop. Alzack was hit by flecks of glass and drenched by the liquor, and he could feel the bar being chipped away. He gritted his teeth and tried to think of a way out.

Back in the casino Bisca was having problems of her own. The casino was a madhouse. It was filled with screams as hordes of people ran for the exit. Many had already left but it was still crowded and difficult to move. But Fox had no trouble at all. Bisca turned and fired another homing shot at the card wielder, but with another portal he nullified her entire attack. She groaned as another red card tore into her, and she began to feel dizzy and lightheaded as she hemorrhaged.

The ceiling far far above began to creak and the wizards ceased fighting. They all looked to the golden dome in confusion. In the blink of an eye it became detached from above and hurtled down, smacking into the rising sun and shattering slots as it rammed the main deck. Gold poured everywhere along with gems and jewel. Malcolm and Galleon stood amidst it all huffing.

The wizards all readied to begin their fight once more, but the peace lasted as a lud and staccato banjo chord rang through the hall. Each wizard looked about confusedly, but Galleon knew its significance all too well. He collapsed to his knees in a fit of tears and trembling, voiding his bladder as he glared forward.

The boards of the ship across the hall began to warp as the banjo begin to play a soft haunting tune. And then it entered. Bisca had never seen something like it before. It was huge and round, drenched in water and huffing hungrily. It looked like a huge red-tail catfish, but covering parts of it's slick body was a tattered suit jacket. Atop his enormous head was a small black hat. And two feet waddled across the boards as his equally undersized arms plucked at the strings of the banjo. Galleon looked up and made eye contact with Bisca.

"Please, save me…" He stuttered. His eyes were brimming with primal fear. The banjo stopped as the fish halted his march and stood a few yards from the mages.

"I have come to reclaim an old debt. Hand him over, and stayin alive is what y'all get." He had a deep and resonant voice. It was commanding. Malcolm walked forward and grabbed Galleon's collar. Alzack raised his gun and aimed it at Malcolm. Sarah raised her guns and pointed one at each Fairy Tail mage, to which Bisca responded by following suit with her tommy guns. Fox lifted cards. It was a stalemate.

"Ah. It seems there's some contention. But little children, I ask y'all to pay attention. I'm the king of this here river. And on my promises, I do deliver. This man came to me seeking wealth and power. I gave him wealth and return for his soul at the proper hour. And the hour has run dry. So here am I. I don't want trouble, just this man. But I can fight, and I demand." He smiled and bared his enormous teeth. Bisca and Alzack glanced at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Give him over," Alzack finally said. Malcolm nodded and tossed Galleon in the direction of the catfish, who grinned once more.

"A wise decision, y'all have made. I swear no blood shall have to be paid." Then he took a step forward and opened his mouth. An enormous tongue reached forward and wrapped itself around Galleon, who began to scream. It pulled the man into the creature's maw, and that was it. He turned and strode across the hall, through the wood where he'd come from.

For a moment everyone stood still and didn't act. But then they all remembered their missions.

"Smoke Shot!" Malcolm roared as a huge plume covered the battlefield. Sarah and Fox dove for cover as Bisca and Alzack tried to find their bearings.

"Bisca, hit the deck!" Alzack shouted. She did as commanded and hit the ground as Alzack fired off an omni-directional spot from his position, filling the air with rounds as the smoke cleared. Sarah lifted herself over the bar and fired a ricocheting shot that bounced from a table towards Alzack, but Bisca grabbed her partner's knees and brought him to the floor. They then rolled behind a large craps table. Malcolm peered over his cover and tried to locate his enemies.

"Fuckin find em, Fox!" He bellowed. Fox obliged and closed his eyes, tapping into his card magic. Two cards glowed and flew over the craps table. Malcolm grinned and leveled his cannon.

"Buster shot!" And a large shell ripped from the barrel towards the table. But before it hit Bisca stood up and fired a bullet straight into it, detonating it middair. Alzack then dove sideways and fired an electrical shot at Malcolm who was hit square in the chest. The big man began to tremble as he was jolted and collapsed a seizing mess. Fox vaulted over a table and threw several red cards at the prone Alzack, each one hitting and opening a large wound in him. He grunted in pain and Bisca tried to take aim at the card mage, but Sarah also ran into the open firing shots into the air that split above Bisca and rained down metal shards.

But a storm shot flew from Alzack's pistol into the cloud and the metal was redirected, being flung all about the room. Fox stopped and raised his arms, giving Bisca the time to hit him in the legs. Fox collapsed in pain as Sarah bolted towards the exit, realizing the fight was ending. But another electric shot fired from Alzack's revolver and Sarah fell to the floor. Bloody, battered, and huffing, the Fairy Tail wizards stood tall as security from the city finally made their way into the grand hall.

* * *

"It technically wasn't a success, but you did lock up three known felons with high bounties. I'm proud of you two," Natsu said with a smile. They had traveled for about a week, and the two were mostly healed. "Now go home and get some rest."

Bisca had been staying in Alzack's apartment as of late. Fairy Hills was in the process of being repaired, but it wasn't expected to be done for another several months.

"I'm going to shower," Bisca told Alzack as they set their boots down in the entryway. Alzack nodded and yawned.

"Alright, I'm gonna head to bed, I'll see you in the morning, partner. He smiled and the two did their fun little handshake before Alzack ascended the stairs. He went into his neat room and went through the usual before bed routines. He brushed his teeth, put his clothes in the hamper, and as he was putting his gun in it's lockbox he heard the door open. Alzack turned around quickly and was caught completely off guard. Bisca stood in his doorway wearing only a towel. Her long green hair fell behind her and her skin shone. She began to take slow steps forward, biting her lip as she looked up into his eyes.  
Alzack stood still, unsure of what to do. Bisca smirked and stood right up against Alzack. She put a hand on his bare chest and applied just a smidgen of force, to which Alzack responded by falling down to the bed. Bisca gripped the fold of her towel and let it slide off, baring herself for her partner.

And that night, Bisca rode like the cowgirl she was.


	9. Chapter 9- Tension

**Chapter 9- Tension**

Numb. Natsu sat up in his bed and tossed his empty vodka bottle across the room. It smashed against the wall audibly, and Natsu ran his hands through his unkempt hair angrily. He gripped it tightly and tried to get the thoughts out of his head. He didn't want to forget them, but god he wanted it to stop hurting.

Natsu's house was clean. Besides the shattered glass obviously. He'd gone through and organized the clutter about a month ago, but still left a majority of his trophies on display. He looked out his window and saw the guild hall in the distance. With a deep sigh he laid back in his bed, and like every night of the last half a year, he saw each one of their faces flash through his mind before he fought his way to sleep.

* * *

Natsu sat at the bar and looked out across the hall. It was vibrant. Mages came and went in and out, people bustled around tables happily and Kinana tried her best to keep up with the demand. Shadow Gear sat in a corner entertaining each other, Macao and Wakaba were still fighting over Lia's affection, and the job board was teeming with papers.

Natsu supposed he had Bisca and Alzack to thank for that, they'd been the rocks holding the guild down. In the past two months they'd completed at least a dozen jobs, more so than any of the other teams and members.

Natsu looked out to the double doors and sighed. Every morning he came into the guild and hoped that Laki would come through the doors. But he knew she had her own demons and that wherever she was, she was defeating them all.

"What's on your mind, Natsu?" Kinana asked as she approached the fourth master. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Oh don't worry about it, Kinana. Everything is fine…" Natsu was going to continue but the doors across the hall suddenly opened. Everyone went silent and stared as the natural light filled the hall. And then he entered.

It was Nab, but it didn't look like Nab. Truthfully Natsu had forgotten he'd gone out on that job all those months ago, but it seemed he'd completed it. He looked broader than he had when he left, and around his chest was a diagonal rope of jade orbs. All of his hair was gone from his head but a small and unkempt beard accentuated his jawline.

"Welcome back, Nab!" Natsu called as he raised his tankard into the air. The guild roared in approval and began to toast to the returning member as he made his way towards the master.

"Master, I've returned successfully." Natsu stood up and patted Nab on the shoulder.

"You look good Nab, what're the pearls for?" Nab looked to the jade spheres and smiled. He then stalked out into the hall and raised his arms.

"Members of Fairy Tail! I return to you stronger than I was before! If anyone wishes to face me, I'd like to prove myself." A ways away Jet stood up with a wide smile.

"I'll take you on, Nab!" Nab began to laugh, which confused the great majority of the guild. He then pointed to the other two members of Shadow Gear.

"I'll face all of you all at once." The guild went silent, then they burst into raucous laughter.

"All of us? Nab you've been gone too long buddy," Droy mocked as he and Max stood up alongside Jet. "But you're on!" The guild followed the four mages out into the back sparring yard, where Shadow Gear took up a triangular position across the soft dirt from Nab.

"Alright, I want a clean fight, no tricks." Natsu announced from his pedestal. He held up his arms, and in a swift motion brought them through the air. Jet took off at high speed. Max fired a plume of sand and Droy tossed several seeds into the cloud.

Natsu watched as Nab stood calmly. Then his eyes opened suddenly and he began to charge forward.

"Hawk stance!" Nab called as the glowing visage of a hawk surrounded his body. He quickly contorted his body and slid under the kick that Jet had leaped into. A huge wave of cacti ripped towards Nab through the air, but he leapt across the ground and twisted himself through the maze, barely avoiding them all. Jet circled back around and tried to deliver a swift punch at Nab, but Nab shifted his stance and the visage of a tiger glowed around him. Nab caught both fists and flung Jet over his shoulder, quickly switching into the stance of a turtle as more plants and sand flew into him.

His feet slid back from the force but he remained unscathed. Nab returned to the tiger stance and punched, hitting Max with a forceful hook to the jaw. The sand wizard hit the ground and then Nab turned on Droy. Droy attempted to create a wall of vines but then Nab bellowed, "Phoenix stance!" and a wall of flame erupted from his mouth into the vines. Droy was stunned, which allowed Nab to walk forward and deliver a huge punch to the chest. Natsu looked down with a beaming smile. Nab then put his hands together and bowed to his opponents who were strewn across the ground.

"We have a winner!" Natsu announced gleefully. He hopped off the pedestal and put an arm around Nab's shoulder. "You're strong as hell, Nab! Who new the right job would be all it took!'

"Thank you, master. You see, the old monk who I trained with taught me how to refine my animal stances. I went out into the wilderness and befriended a bear, turtle, hawk, tiger, and finally the monk's pet phoenix. I still have much to learn though, and can only become stronger!"

Natsu patted him on the back unable to contain his happiness.

"That's true! And when the S-class trials roll around I'm sure you'll be a contender! Now c'mon, lemme buy you a drink." The two strode back into the guild hall, the majority of the guild in tow. Shadow Gear nursed their wounds and stood up slowly.

"Damn, we're weak as hell," Max griped as he rubbed at his bruised jaw. Droy's clothes were charred but he seemed alright, as did Jet.

"Let's go on a job then! And not a dumb little fetch this, or do this errand kinda job. Let's do something challenging!" Droy said as he clenched his fist and looked at his comrades. Jet nodded and looked to Max.

"Sounds good to me, man." And with that the three musketeers strode their way back into the hall.

* * *

It was night in Magnolia. Calm. Natsu walked down the main drag recalling some of his fondest memories in the city. He thought of the parades, the times Lucy would walk on the canal walls. He smiled, but deep down his heart ached. It was getting unbearable. The memories were intrusive. They just reminded him how truly powerless he felt. He made his way past the square and saw that sitting beneath one of the trees was Lia. Natsu approached her and sat beside her. The tiny guild mark beneath her right eye glowed a soft white.

"What are you doing out here this late?" natsu asked as he leaned back against the large trunk.

"Thinking," she responded, keeping her gaze out across the city. Natsu breathed slowly as he looked up at the stars in the sky.

"Me too. What's on your mind?" Natsu turned to look at her, but she kept staring into the distance.

"How do you deal with it, master? I know all of the group at Tenrou took a huge toll on everyone… How can you forget someone?" She looked up at Natsu with tears in her eyes. Natsu felt powerless again.

"Honestly… I don't know. If I'm being honest, I've tried everything. I try to distract myself with work, but that doesn't help. I metabolize too fast to drink, so that doesn't help. I don't think it will ever really go away. But sometimes things happen that make me happy."

"When the Wolf Pack attacked Magnolia my whole family died." Lia stated. Natsu looked from her across the city to the homes under repair still. He figured as much. "All my life I looked up at the guildhall and wished I could be one of you. I wanted to be a mage more than anything. But when I got it, was what I gave up worth it?"

"Don't think about it like that, Lia. You didn't choose to make that trade. I know words can't change how you feel, but people can. Fairy Tail is a family. Real family is irreplaceable, I know. But the people with this mark," Natsu put his finger on her guild mark. "Those people love you unconditionally. They support you, care for you, they'd lay down their lives for you. We're here for you." She began to cry softly, and Natsu wrapped his arms around her. After several minutes she stopped, and pulled away while rubbing her eyes.

"Thanks, master." Natsu chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"Everyone who knew before I became guild master just calls me Natsu. You can too. Now go home and try to get some sleep."

Natsu stood up and gave Lia one last smile before he turned and made his way into the night.

* * *

Macao and Wakaba made their way drunkenly towards their separate apartments. The two walked merrily and sang their happy shanties as they stumbled down the cobble.

"Ya know, Wakaba," Macao chuckled. "That bitch got some nice titties!" the two both laughed. Wakaba was about to respond when an odd iron bolo came out from and alley and wrapped itself around one of his legs.

"Hey, what the fuck?!" Wakaba turned towards the alley and tried to make a smokefist, but found himself unable to. "Hey, my magic isn't working!" A second bolo flung from the alley and wrapped itself around Macao, who was far too drunk to be able to unwrap it. Slowly, six men clad in brown bandanas and baggy shirts stepped out of the alley holding planks and bats.

"Fuckin mages. Ruining our streets n shit. Les show em who runs Magnolia…" Macao and Wakaba turned and tried to run but their lack of coordination once again punished them. Macao hit the ground, and felt someone yank his chain off his neck. Then the blows came. Impact after impact hit his body and he felt himself go numb. Then he blacked out and it was over.

The thugs beat the two mages until they were unconscious, then seeing their good work they stalked back into the shadows.

* * *

"I don't know who they were, they all had brown bandanas on. But they had some kind of magic inhibiting gear, and when we were down they did this!" Natsu sat beside Macao's infirmary bed as the fire mage told the fourth master what had happened. "And worst of all, they snatched my chain!" Natsu put his hand on Macao's bandaged arm and looked at his guildmate in the eyes with a fiery passion that was reminiscent of the old Natsu.

"I promise we'll find who did this and bring them justice, Macao." Natsu stood up and left the room angrily. He made his way into the main hall when in a panic Warren sprinted towards him.

"Natsu, the Fairy Hills construction site has been vandalized!" Natsu huffed and nodded, following Warren out. The members of Shadow Gear watched as the two left and looked amongst themselves nervously.

"Something serious is going down…" Droy murmured. Max filed his nails and nodded in agreement as Jet yawned.

"Maybe we should see if we can do anything about it, I mean we haven't found a good job and the three of us could take out some thugs," Jet suggested.

"They beat the shit outta Macao and Wakaba, I don't know if that's a great idea, bro." Max retorted as he put his nail file back in his pocket.

"They were hammered, though," Droy added. The three paused and pondered silently, before Max finally got out of his chair and on his feet.

"We aren't doing anything else anyway, I guess a little sleuthing wouldn't be a huge issue." They all got up and went out into the city, moving along casually and socializing with the different passersby who saw them. It was a hot and slow day, and Shadow Gear ended up ambling and gossiping more than they did any sleuthing. They turned off the main drag and made their way down a residential street, In this particular neighborhood repairs were slow and houses were still being rebuilt after the Wolf Pack had demolished them, so it was a generally poorer district.

They heard the sound of drums very faintly, and as the continued they saw more and more people, specifically adolescents of a similar age to them, sitting on the stairwells and porches of the apartment buildings. Most were shirtless, muscular, and angry looking.

They passed a large stone staircase where about seven of these adolescents sat, and as one played a bongo drum another was rhyming over it. But they stopped when Shadow Gear was close enough to shout at.

"Hey little magic boys, you lost?" The lead one, covered in tattoos, stood up. A brown bandana hung out of his back pocket.

"No, in fact I think we're in the right place," Jet taunted back. And then he noticed one of the thugs was wearing a very familiar chain.

"So what are you gonna do, use your magic to beat us up?" The thug turned to his posse and looked for approval. They began to whoop and laugh as they all stood up. The other small gatherings down the block were also getting to their feet and moving towards the wizards.

"We just might," Max said angrily. Before Shadow Gear could do anything, a few of the thugs slung out small bolos and tossed them at the Fairy Tail mages. Each one flew through the air and wrapped itself around various appendages of Max, Jet and Droy.

"Gettem!" The tatted boy roared as the thugs all around the street rushed at Shadow Gear. Jet tried to rush forward but found he was spriting at a normal pace, and as he tried to pry off the bolo three thugs tackled him to the ground and began to wail on him with punches, brass knuckles, and planks. Max and Droy found themselves in similar situations, and in seconds they were all out cold bleeding on the stone sidewalk.

* * *

Natsu and Warren approached the build site, and Natsu felt the heat in his body build up. All over the wooden frame graffiti had been strewn around, with different slogans like _Fuck wizards, Get Fairy Tail out of Magnolia,_ and _SSMP_. Natsu had no clue what the four letters meant, however. SSMP.

"It stands for Southside Magnolia Posse. It's a street gang. The mayor has hired us to deal with their antics before. Usually the Magnolia guard handles them, but I guess now they've adopted an anti-magic sentiment…" Warren explained as they walked through the site. The windows were shattered and a lot of the construction equipment had been destroyed.

Natsu wanted nothing more than to stride into their neighborhood and burn them all to the ground. But he knew better than that. They were civilians and until they were caught in the act of committing a crime fairy tail didn't have the jurisdiction to outright attack non-magic users.

"What's the plan, Natsu?" Warren asked as they made their way down the hill back to Magnolia.

"Force," Natsu huffed brusquely as they continued down the path. 'But since their citizens and not mages we need the mayor's permission. I'll set up a meeting with him. But I might go pay them a visit anyway, they've got me fired up!"

* * *

The guild gathered around Natsu as he held up the paper. He took a deep breath and began to read.

"We captured the three weaklings, the ones with the black gear tattoos. You have forty-eight hours to clear out of our city, and never come back, or we're gonna merc these kids. Signed, the Southside Magnolia Posse…" Natsu rolled up the letter and stuck it behind him. The hall was filled with anxious and frantic conversation. Natsu looked around at his guild and sighed. He clapped his hands and shot a jet of fire into the air, silencing the rabble.

"Everyone, we will not give up! I'm going to go into their territory and try to talk some sense into them, and if it gets bad I'll deal with it. The mayor is supposed to come tomorrow to have a meeting with me, but if something happens I want Nab to have the meeting in my place! Understood?"

The guild all chanted their acknowledgement and Natsu climbed down off the stage. Nab approached him and bowed respectfully.

"I'm gonna deal with these guys. I swear it." Natsu held out his hand and Nab shook it with an iron grip. They shared a moment of deep respect and then Natsu broke away.

"I'll be back," he assured as he marched out of the guild hall and out into the city. It was only a few minutes before he was in South Magnolia. And when he saw it he felt ashamed. Houses were in disrepair, the streets smelled rank and boards and iron bars seemed omnipresent. And there they were.

Boys, none of them even men, stood in alleys and sat on stairwells. Some had bottles in their hands, some were puffing cigarettes, but all had at least one tattoo. And some were human canvases. South Magnolia had always been poor, but ever since the Wolf Pack had come the residents had flocked out in droves, leaving the poorest orphans and families to fend for themselves.

"Hey, it's the guild leader!" One of the thugs announced. They brandished knives, bats, knuckles, planks, and all other types of makeshift melee weapons. But they all let Natsu continue on his path. Further down was a large warehouse, and Natsu guessed by the amount of thugs out front that this was their headquarters. Sitting on a crate right outside the doors was the biggest of the gangsters that natsu had seen. A brown bandana was wrapped around his face and several chains hung from his neck.

"Salamander!" The leader called. "I told you to clear out, not come down here!" He stood up and paced towards natsu until the two stood not a yard apart from each other.

"Where are my guild members?" Natsu questioned forcefully. The thugs in earshot began to laugh and cackle.

"They're in there," the leader stated. He gestured his head behind him to the warehouse. "But you can't have them. Not until you leave." The tension was palpable. Natsu knew he could take them all out with ease, but they had some way to nullify magic that he needed to find.

"And what guarantee do I have that you'll return them when I leave?"

"None." The leader quipped nonchalantly. The posse began to laugh again and some reacher under their baggy shirts gripping something unseen.

"Then why would I leave?" Natsu asked, gritting his teeth and trying to contain his fury.

"Well _you_ won't have a choice." And then it happened in the blink of an eye. Several bolos whipped towards Natsu. He leaped backwards and let out a jet of fire from his mouth towards their leader. The thug slung a large cloth in front of him and the flame stopped, unable to penetrate it. Natsu's eyes widened as he recognized the insignia on the cloth. It was a Rune Knight cape. Dozens of bolos flew into the air and wrapped themselves around Natsu.

Natsu fell to the ground and tried to worm his way out of them but as he did the lead thug stepped forward and pointed a flintlock pistol at Natsu's forehead.

"You fucking wizards. You think you're better than non-magic users. But you fuckin' isn't. Load him up with the others, boys. We got us the best bargaining chip now."

 **The Next Afternoon**

Nab and the mayor stood atop the steps of the guild hall as dozens of boys in brown bandanas and baggy white shirts swaggered down the main strip. At the helm was a cart where Natsu and Shadowgear were chained and bound, bruised and beaten. And in front of them was the leader, sauntering with a smug bounce in his step.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" The mayor shrieked in terrified anger at the gang. The convoy stopped right beneath the staircase and the lead gangster raised his arms.

"Mister Mayor! It's me, Andre Arkon! The son of your last Captain of the guard! You remember what happened to him?!' A crowd began to gather along the sides of this grotesque parade. The everyday citizen looked on in horror. The mayor gulped and looked at Andre nervously.

"He was killed in action..."

"Killed trying to retake this guild hall!" Andre roared, turning to face the people of Magnolia. "He, and dozens more soldiers, and even civilians like you! How many times is this going to happen before we call it quits?! This guild jeopardizes our city fucking monthly! We can't deal with wizards! But if there wasn't a wizard guild in our city…"

"If Fairy Tail wasn't in Magnolia we would be defenseless if we were attacked by other wizards! Are you that naive?! We're a large, prosperous city; don't think we'd be turned a blind eye towards by the dark guilds of Fiore!" The mayor shouted in a voice that was powerful for a man of his stature. "Besides, they've always helped us rebuild!"

Andre screamed and tore off his bandana. Tears welled in his eyes as he pulled out his flintlock and fire it into the sky.

"NO! Fuck you! They've helped you rebuild your rich little city, rebuild your quaint little shops. Rebuilt your historic and beautiful districts!" he began to march up the stairs. "But when has anyone ever helped the Southside?! Huh?! The guards don't even patrol our streets anymore!" Andre stopped at the second to last stair and looked out at Magnolia.

"You're either with me, or you're against me! So who's with me?!" Suddenly, flocks of Magnolia citizens stepped into the street alongside the posse, raising their arms chanting angrily. Others stayed at the side and began to shout at the protestors.

"Guards, arrest them!" The mayor yelled. The Magnolia guard stepped off the sidewalk and into the cobbled street, and were promptly greeted by rocks and weapons. It devolved into a full fledged brawl in seconds.

"If any mage even thinks about stepping in, your boss is gonna get it!" Andre threatened as he flew down the stairs in great leaps, raring to join the action.

The Fairy Tail members gaped down at the quasi-civil war that was unfolding before their eyes and felt powerless. They couldn't do anything to save the people and the city that they loved.

 **A Week Later**

Fairy Tail had take up occupancy in the slums. It was a funny little reversal of roles, as Southside was now in fact North is Magnolia and living out of the old guild hall. They hadn't taken control of the city but they taken a large chunk of the city and Fiore National guard were en route. But as long as they had Natsu and Shadow gear Fairy Tail was completely incapacitated.

"This is such bullshit!" Lia snapped frustratedly as she kicked the wall of the rundown apartment they occupied. Macao and Wakaba laid on the one bed in the place side-by-side, cramped and uncomfortable. Other than them it was just Lia, Warren, Kinana and Nab in the room.

"We have to do something, Natsu's counting on us…" Kinana murmured as Nab peered out the hole in the wall where the window used to be.

"I know, but they can stop our magic, so what's the point…" As Nab spoke the door creaked open and two familiar figures entered, looking tired and confused.

"Can someone explain what the fuck is happening?" Bisca asked angrily as she and Alzack strode into the apartment. Kinana's eyes welled with tears and she jumped into bisca's arms.

"I'm so glad you two are here, we need a lot of help," Nab said. Bisca and Alzack glanced at him and stood silent for a moment.

"...Nab?" Alzack finally asked. "I didn't recognize you for a second."

"Yes, a lot has changed. Now let me fill you in on our current dilemma."

 **Two Days Following**

The Fairy Tail members stood in the shadow of the Cathedral as the National Guard regiments filed down the main strip. The last of the Southside and the rebelling citizens had been pushed back across the canal and were holed up in the Guild Hall.

Up atop the platform Andre stood and clenched his fists, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. But he had one more trick up his sleeve. Several thugs wheeled out the cart where the four captives were being held.

"Fairy Tail wizards!" He announced. He then reached behind his back and drew his flintlock pistol, aiming it at Natsu's face. "You have a choice! Either your guild master dies, as do you comrades. Or… You can turn on the Fiore guard and they'll survive."

The mages began to look amongst themselves nervously. And then one stepped out and lit his palms ablaze. The guardsmen began to shift backwards, incapable of knowing what was going to happen next.

Several other men and women bearing the guild mark stepped out into the street brandishing their magic. Nab looked at them in disgust.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He howled at them. "This isn't what the master would want!"

"Maybe not, but it's what _we_ want. We don't want to lose a second guild master this year," one snapped. Nab's heart sank as he realized it was true. The guild had seen so much loss already. It didn't seem fair to subject them to more. Nab mounted himself into bear stance and stepped forward when he felt something. He looked up at Natsu who had opened his eyes.

Natsu looked around slowly, wondering how it had come to this. Their city was divided. He wondered how Makarov would've dealt with this. Would he have used diplomacy, or marched in like Natsu had? He suddenly felt ashamed. He'd been too reckless, thinking he could walk into a non-magic part of town and be untouchable. But he knew how to solve the problem now. He put all of his might into taking a chomp into the gag, and it fell away from his face fluttering down to the ground. He took a breath and made a proclamation.

"Fairy Tail, we must not become the enemy!" Andre glanced over at Natsu, infuriated. He began to apply pressure along his index finger and a loud gunshot rang out. The crowd shrieked as Andre's hand exploded into a pulp of blood and bone.

Nab stepped further into the street and used his tremendous physical power of bear stance to rip a metal sewage cap out of the cobble.

'Lia, you use magnetism, correct?!" Lia nodded in affirmation. Nab locked eyes with Kinana. "Get on, little one." And without a moment to spare Kinana clung to the metal disc as Nab lobbed it through the air, Lia guiding it with her magic It flew over the guild hall and Kinana let go, landing atop the cart where her guild mates laid in captivity. Several bolos flew and hit her, but her arms glowed with purple power anyways.

"What the hell is she?!" One thug screamed. The bolos steamed and hissed as they slowly melted off of her purple skin. Several of the thugs rounded on Kinana, but the guardsmen were now charging up the ramp and the rebels were torn. They decided on the threat they thought they understood, and a bloody brawl began on the steps. Kinana corroded the chains and they fell apart with ease. Shadow Gear and Natsu were still incapacitated by the beatings and starvation they endured, however, and Kinana looked up in fear as Andre approached the cart with murder in his eyes. His stump arm hung at his side as it oozed blood and puss on the stone, and his left hand gripped the pistol tightly. He raised it at Natsu.

"You took everything from me, now, I'm go…" But a second bullet surged through the back of his head and exited the front. His face became a concave mess of brain and liquid as he collapsed like a limp ragdoll.

In the highest belltower of the cathedral, Bisca etched another line in the buttstock of her rifle, joining the other thirteen. Bisca had been troubled by it at first, but thirteen kills in and it didn't seem to phase her anymore.

As the guards rounded up the last of the rebels, Natsu smirked and looked down at Magnolia.

"I did it, gramps." Natsu whispered. "I used peace to solve a problem…" And with that Natsu fell back into a deep slumber. He would never know who fired the two shots into Andre. Only four other Fairy Tail wizards ever would. And perhaps that was for the better.

 **A Week After**

Natsu dropped the large stack of two-by-fours in front of the renovating building. He exhaled and stretched his sore back a tad before glancing around at the construction. Lia was lifting metal framework with her magic, Nab and other physically strong members of the guild were lifting and carrying loads of construction materials down the streets like Natsu had been. Some wizards were cleaning the streets of the built up trash, and others were assembling the frameworks into new housing complexes.

It made Natsu incredibly proud. Fairy Tail was out in the streets of Magnolia making a difference, helping families and renovating a once derelict portion of the city. Natsu looked up and saw lia approaching him with a wet towel.

"Here, take this. It's hot out." Natsu smiled and took it in his hands gratefully, rubbing his brow before laying it across his shoulders.

"How're you feeling, Lia?" Natsu asked as he gestured for her to follow him down the road. She looked up and around at the project and shrugged.

"I'm feeling less sad about a lot of things. All these kids were like me… Well without the magic I guess. But they let their anger boil over and they blamed the first thing they could. It just gives me a new perspective is all, and I'm glad that the new family I chose was a better one." She smiled warmly and Natsu returned it.

"I'm glad you feel that way. You're a great addition to the guild, and from what I've seen you have good chemistry with Kinana and Nab. You should consider forming a team."

"Oh I don't know about that," Lia giggled. "Hell I haven't been on a job ever, and neither has Kinana. She's still only like thirteen."

"I had a guild mate named Wendy who was the same age and doing just as much. Kinana has it in her. And you don't need to do anything grandiose or big, just something that helps someone else." Lia nodded as they swung around a corner onto a street where the construction seemed mostly complete.

"Hey, Natsu! We're just about done here!" Alzack called from a roof he was laying tiles on. Natsu gave him the thumbs up as he and Lia kept walking.

"Well, I think I'd better get back to work, see you around!" Lia chirped as she bounced off. Natsu was glad to see everyone in high spirits. He filled a wheelbarrow with gravel and made his way into another small block where Shadow gear was busy repaving the road. He spotted Nab spinning a concrete mixer and wheeled his load over.

"Many thanks, Natsu," Nab said. He took a trowel and scooped the gravel into the mixer. "What's on your mind?" Natsu chuckled and leaned back against the wheelbarrow.

"You're perceptive. It's two months until the one year anniversary of the day they left…" Nab stopped what he was doing and lowered his arms. He looked at the guild master who was now staring intently at the ground.

"Master, all we can hope is that they'll come back. It may take many more years. Perhaps it won't happen in our lifetime. But as I recall you were the one who said it was our duty to wait. And so I shall. And I know you will as well." Nab put a hand on Natsu's shoulder affirmingly. Natsu looked up and the corner of his mouth cracked into a slight grin.

'You're right, Nab. You know, I think we should hold another S-Class trial starting then. As commemoration."

"You're in charge," laughed Nab as he continued what he'd been doing before. Natsu left the wheelbarrow and Spruce Block and turned down Cedar Street. Kinana was rushing around with refreshments for Macao, Wakaba, and several other Fairy Tail mages who were putting insulation in the walls of the homes.

"Care for a drink?" Kinana offered. Natsu nodded and downed the large glass of lemonade quickly.

"Thanks. And again, thanks for getting me out of those chains." Kinana shook her head fervently to this.

"You don't have to keep thanking me. You're the guild master, it was my duty."

"Thanks for your duty, then," Natsu laughed. He turned and kept walking. Kinana smiled and shook her head once again. It was hard to believe he was still just sixteen sometimes. He acted a lot like Makarov.

"Hey! Guild Master Dragneel!" natsu turned and saw a courier running at him quickly. "I've been looking for you, got something I'm supposed to deliver- your hands only!" He extended a rolled parchment sealed by the King of Fiore. Natsu's eyes widened and he took hold of it. "Looks like that's it. Got to go!" The courier then turned and strode away at a leisurely pace. Natsu chortled at the odd interaction but decided it would be best to read something with this kind of gravity in his office.

* * *

They all sat around tables. Some stood by the walls. But all were waiting expectantly for the fourth master to take the stage. Apparently there was a great announcement to be had, something that Natsu had received from someone with a lot of power.

Natsu pushed the curtains aside and stepped into the light. All eyes were on him. He cleared his throat and held up the paper.

"This was a letter from the King of Fiore." Natsu noticed glances but the room remained respectfully silent. "In it was an invitation to an event the likes of which this realm has never seen before. A competition. I don't know how many guilds were invited but in our current state I don't know how much of a chance we have. But Fairy Tail will be participating."

People then took that as a cue to talk amongst themselves. Natsu cleared his throat once again and it stopped.

"The prize is several million jewel. Now money isn't an issue for this guild, but I suspect all of you would enjoy more budget for luxuries. Anyway, I've already decided the five-wizard roster we're going to field. Please give a big round of applause for Bisca, Alzack, Nab, Kinana and…"

Macao and Wakaba looked at each other angrily, both suspecting it was him. Shadow Gear knew it wasn't going to be any of them but they still hoped.

"Lia Stehlen!" The room went quiet and everyone's gaze moved to the blonde haired girl sitting by herself. She looked up at Natsu and gaped, unsure of how to process the information. With a wolfish grin Natsu held up the Fairy Tail sign and lit his hand ablaze.

"We leave in two days. And we're gonna make the guild proud! I'm fired up!"

 _A/N: Sorry for the choppy ass chapter. It was supposed to be two but I didn't wanna release a 2000 word chapter of mainly filler. So I merged it into one. The next arc will be longer and more fun, and some familiar faces will show up._


	10. Chapter 10- Welcome to Crocus

**Chapter 10- Welcome to Crocus**

Puffy white clouds hung low in the sky, fluttering their way over the rolling green hills peacefully as the sun shone warmly. Flowers were blooming along the grassy landscape and colorful butterflies flitted their way through the air lazily. Natsu sat with his legs dangling over the train at the back of the caboose and practiced his writing, trying hard not to vomit.

The letters were getting more and more legible, the lines were straighter and the spacing was becoming unified. Natsu was proud of his progress. The n he hurled over the side. He heard the door slide open behind him and footsteps along the metal.

Kinana leaned against the railing and looked down the endless tracks and fields. Natsu looked up at her and knew what was on her mind.

"If you could pinpoint one thing that made you nervous, what would it be?" He kept his face in his small practice notebook.

"I'm so young! I've never been on a job. I serve drinks at the guild. I don't have the experience necessary to compete with… powerful mages." She sighed deeply and buried her chin in her forearms. Natsu chuckled as his pen moved along the paper.

"Wendy was your age when she took on Oracion Seis. And so what if you've never been on a went toe to toe with an ancient shaman for awhile. You rescued my ass from a bunch of rebels. Don't discredit yourself, Kinana. You're gonna make us all proud. Now I sure wish I could do the same, there's a guild master banquet if you make it past the qualifiers and my etiquette is awful…" he then stopped talking and heaved another load off the cart.

Kinana laughed lightheartedly. As usual Natsu had put her in a good mood. She turned around and walked back through the carts, passing different members who were coming to watch, as well as her teammates. She shared momentary pleasantries with Bisca and Alzack and kept moving.

Bisca nestled into Alzack's shoulder as the two sat side-by-side and enjoyed the scenery. He enjoyed hearing her soft breathing as her soft hair ran along his chin.

"Are you nervous?" He asked. Bisca didn't speak, she only shook her head. Alzack smiled. She was always sure, and it was something he loved about her. "I know I am…" Bisca opened her eyes and looked up into his. She didn't need to utter so much as a syllable, her eyes were affirming and filled with love and Alzack felt an intense sense of belonging and strength. But then her mouth curled into a grin.

"I know something that'll… _ease_ your tension…" Alzack's lip quivered as he tried to keep a straight face and he blushed slightly.

"A-and what's that?" He didn't know how to properly respond to her dirty talk so he shut down every time.

"I'm going to go to the restroom. In three minutes you get up and knock, and I'll let you in…" And with that Bisca planted a kiss on Alzack's cheek before she stood up and swayed down the aisle. Alzack sat and smiled like a fool as he shuffled his feet.

Lia sat a few rows back and put a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh erupting from her sides. She was no stranger to this type of lewdity, but Alzack's pure reactions were too comical. She watched him stand up and strut down towards the restroom.

"Good luck," she whispered under her breath. As the restroom door clicked closed she let it out, drawing a few awkward glances from Nab and Shadow Gear. "It's nothing." She then pulled out her iron bearings and began to twirl them in the air in front of her for practice.

"Guys! Come look!" Kinana yelled from further in the cart. Lia scrambled up and ran down the aisle, pressing her face against the glass on the right hand side of the train.

There it was.

Glistening in the early sun the golden spires of the royal palace shimmered their radiant gold. It was a sea of tiled red roofs and high stone walls. And behind the city was a floating stone topped with a large coliseum.

"That must be it…" Lia whispered. The train chugged forward and the scenery changed drastically from a soft countryside to a slow creep of urban sprawl, until they passed beneath a huge stone arch. And then they were in the city proper, losing speed.

'I'll go get Natsu," Nab declared. Lia and Kinana didn't even hear him, they were too busy taking it all in. The views changed as they ascended deeper into the city, passing several kinds districts until they were moving at a crawl and the engine began to billow steam along the pistons.

"I think we've arrived…" came a queasy voice from behind them. Natsu was slung over Nab's shoulder, his head spinning and his cheeks bloated trying to keep from vomiting. Now let's get off this thing…"

The guild began to extract their luggage from the compartments before filing down the aisle and out of the train. Lia hung back and glanced at the bathroom door, wondering if they would finish soon or if she was going to have get them. But then the door opened and Alzack fell out, drooling and stumbling. Bisca followed, running a hand along her chin. Lia turned around and cackled into her palm. Those two were certainly something else.

"That was the last time until after the games," Bisca whispered to Alzack, who in response only nodded dumbly.

"Uh-huh," he managed to croak. Bisca giggled as the two followed Lia, who was a ways ahead of them, down the cart and out through the side entrance. They stepped into the sunlight and were astounded. They'd not been present with the rest of the guild when the city had first come into view, so for them this was their first time taking it in.

"Come on everyone, we're gonna _walk_ to our inn...:" Natsu announced, still slung over Nab's shoulder like a sack of lard. "Follow m… Or I guess Nab." And with that the guild made their way into the streets of the capital.

* * *

"Alright!" Natsu bellowed as he slapped his palms against his knees. He, and the five members of Fairy Tail's competing team sat in a small room in a half circle. Natsu sat in the middle of them and glanced around. He grinned manically and the passion burned furiously in his eyes.

"I know the five of you are gonna go out there and smash the competition! But I had these uniforms made for you guys." Natsu pointed to a chest at the end of the room. He stood up and opened it, tossing each wizard a bundle of purple clothing. Each uniform was emblazoned with a the guild's insignia in white. "Unfortunately they weren't made in likeness of my design, but they're each tailored to your magic and style. That doesn't mean much for most of you, besides Lia. Your uniform has metal blades inside of it so you won't have to rely on your surroundings as much. Don't worry, I had Warren read through the thick rules and sub-rules. It's technically legal." Each of the Fairy Tail team, who will from now onward be referred to as Team Bisca, unfolded their uniform and inspected it more closely. "Any questions?" Natsu asked.

"When do we start?" Alzack fired immediately. Natsu crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"The qualifiers start after twelve A.M., no further details were given to me. Be on your toes, though. I'm gonna go get settled in to my room, you guys plan and talk and do whatever you feel like you have to do." Natsu paced out of the room and down the hall. He smiled and wistfully thought about how it would go if he could participate. Perhaps in a different universe he could. But he shook his head, knowing he was here and now and he'd have to be proud of the people who represented him. Still, whooping some ass in a government sanctioned death pit sounded appealing. But maybe not the death part.

Meanwhile, back in the room, team Bisca had all changed into their uniforms. Bisca's was made of flexible pants, boots, and a jacket that gave her wide range of motion. Alzack kept his signature poncho, but purple with the logo. Nab had nothing covering his chest, but his pants followed the theme of the rest of the team. Kinana's looked mostly similar to Bisca's, just with her forearms bare.

And then there was Lia's. It seemed that most of her joints were covered in a metal band, and along her limbs in regimented lines were small flat pieces of metal. On her shoulders and back were longer curved metal blades the protruded slightly outwards, but not enough to be a hassle or impair her mobility. Her boots also had the entirety of the sole made of metal, along with a pointy steel toe. She played around with the blades, pulling them out and guiding them around her in an elegant dance. She shen directed them beneath her feet and found that she could shakily hover in the air this way.

"Damn, Lia. Looking good," Bisca complimented. Lia grinned like an excited child who just learned to ride a horse. It was exhilarating. But then she stumbled and fell on her ass. The rest of the team laughed, but Bisca held out a hand towards Lia as she did so. "Just keep at it, and you'll be fucking amazing." Lia took Bisca's hand and smiled at her green-haired comrade. This was definitely her new family.

* * *

The clock struck midnight and the belltower chimed twelve consecutive times. This didn't awaken any of Team Bisca, however. But then exactly one minute after midnight a loud horn blared and lights shone in the sky.

They all sat up in their respective rooms quickly, and scrambled for their uniforms.

"Contestants!" A loud voice boomed across the city. "There are six golden idols in Crocus, each with a light shining down on it." Bisca looked out her window and saw that there were indeed six pillars of golden light pointing down into the city. One was quite close. "The six guilds that bring these idols to the coliseum will qualify for the main event." The entirety of Team Bisca gathered in the lobby of the inn and began to jog their way into the streets, listening to the continuing instructions as they pushed towards the nearest pillar. "The light will continue to shine even when a guild has obtained it. Feel free to steal it away from your rivals. Until your guild gets through the archway into the coliseum, every idol is fair game. Good luck!" And the voice ceased with a loud popping noise. And suddenly the idol that Team Bisca was approaching started moving away from them and in the direction of the coliseum.

"Shit, another guild has it!" Kinana yelled. They all picked up their pace and Bisca requipped to a gun none of them had seen before. She aimed it at a high clock tower and a grappling hook zipped through the night air until it hit it, and then suddenly she pulled off her feet and towards it. Alzack assured his teammates she wasn't abandoning them.

"She'll be our eyes in the sky, don't worry." They were getting closer to the golden pillar when Bisca crackled over the communication lacrima in Alzack's poncho.

"Five enemies six o'clock, about twenty yards back." Alzack nodded and spun around, palming the hammer of his revolver several times in quick burst. Small bursts of electricity sparked off in the distance and the pursuing guild dropped.

"They must've been weak, I didn't make those stun shots very powerful…" Alzack chortled as he fell back in line with the other two members of Team Bisca. Turning around a corner into a much wider street they finally spotted the guild with the idol.

Meanwhile, Natsu sat on his balcony and clenched his fists tightly. Live updates were spilling from the lacrima in front of him, and it was more or less what he expected. Lamia Scale had firm control over an idol, as did Blue Pegasus. He had never heard of Saber Tooth, Quatro Cerberus, Cyclops Eye or Raptor Talon, however. But he knew that Raptor Talon was the closest to his team, and that a fight would be happening soon.

"Come on, I believe in you all…" Natsu whispered.

Back in the streets Team Bisca was chasing Raptor Talon, the latter of whom were certainly quick.

"Takeover, Raptor Soul!" The one at the front of their spearhead shouted, taking on the form of a huge eagle as he lifted himself, and the idol, into the sky. But then a bolt hit him in the chest and he careened down to earth.

"Thanks, babe!" Alzack laughed as Lia hopped onto her metal plates shakily to intercept the idol in the air. But a buffet of rose petals from one of the Raptor Talon mages destabilized her already quaking balance and she tumbled down. Another two guilds spilled into the street as the idol landed in the center.

It became a tumultuous and chaotic brawl, with magic flying all around and nobody really knowing who was winning. But then Kinana scooped up the idol and took off in the direction of the coliseum. An enemy wizard tried to run off after her but was hit by a bolt from Bisca who still occupied her clock tower.

Nab shifted to his bear stance and tossed four enemies off of his broad shoulders. He smacked another with a huge palm and began to charge after Kinana. Alzack and Lia wrapped up with the stragglers and tried to follow as quickly as possible. But Fairy Tail had lost formation.

Kinana bolted along the dimly lit sidewalk with the idol hugged tightly to her chest. A huge roar echoed down the street and Kinana stopped suddenly in fear. A huge takeover mage barreled out of an alley possessed by some sort of reptilian soul. He looked around and quickly laid his eyes on Kinana, dropping his jaw to roar again. Kinana backed away and tried to make a run for it in the opposite direction but didn't go far before a huge scaled hand wrapped around her legs. The reptile swung her against the side of a building, winding Kinana and knocking the idol out of her grasp. She fell to the ground and went prone like a limp ragdoll, giving the reptilian time to get hold of the prize. Several energy bolts hit him in the chest, but his skin was too tough to be penetrated.

He swung back into his alleyway, and Bisca cursed loudly as he left her sights. Her team was too separate to keep tabs on all at once, but she realized she'd made a huge mistake by not focusing on Kinana.

"Alzack, have Nab chase down the idol. You and Lia grab Kinana." her lacrima crackled as Alzack confirmed the instructions. She glanced through her scope once again but as she did so something knocked her from her perch. Bisca had no time to register what hit her and requipped back to her grappling gun. She hooked to another portion of the tower and swung around, requipping a sawed-off shotgun in her other hand. She saw what had hit her, it was the Raptor Talon man from before and he was diving towards her in a Falcon form. She raised her left arm and squinter her eye to line up her shot perfectly, and just a few feet before the two met she pulled the trigger. A cone of flat rubber pellets erupted from the twin barrels and hit the man hard in the chest, pushing him back slightly before he dropped out of his form and tumbled into the air downwards to the ground. Bisca huffed exasperatedly at the distraction and hoisted herself back onto her vantage point, quickly requipping to her sniper rifle.

In the winding labyrinth of alleyways nab sped through the corridors and vaulted over crates and trash in his hawk stance. It didn't allow him the ability to fly, but it boosted his speed and agility significantly. A ways ahead of him the huge reptilian knocked over stacks of barrels and other obstacles to halt the fairy Tail wizards' advance, but found it more and more futile. Nab quickly jumped on a crate and then ran across the wall for several paces before switching to his bear stance, where he leveled a powerful punch at the reptile man's cranium. It connected and instantly knocked the opponent out cold. The idol flew forward and slid across the cobble, bounding like a coin and clanging audibly.

Nab moved to retrieve it but a speed mage ran by and scooped it up like a football, taking off down the street.

"Bisca!" Nab screamed. From atop her tower Bisca switched her focus from Alzack to Nab's new foe, and hit him square in the back with a bolt. He dropped comically and Nab was finally able to get his hands on the idol.

"Fairy Tail has regained control of the idol!" The announcer yelled. Natsu stood up and punched his fist in the air.

"Yes!" he yelled happily as he danced around on his balcony.

"What's this? It seems Kraken Maw has occupied the staircase up the coliseum and is waiting for the first guild with an idol to ambush!" The announcer declared. Natsu looked up instantly and sighed in relief. Fairy Tail wasn't the closest guild to the coliseum. But he wondered who this Kraken Maw was.

The members of Cyclops Eye shouted in elation as they moved closer to the grand staircase. Victory was theirs for the taking.

"Takeover, Leviathan Soul!" They heard from above them. Suddenly a huge man with features of an enormous Manta ray fell out of the sky and landed in the center of them. But the onslaught didn't halt there. A huge crescent of water swirled around them and a woman with long silver hair phased through the crescent to the center of them. The water receded towards her, pulling all the Cyclops Eye wizards with it, knocking them off their feet. She summoned a sphere of water in the air and used it to encircle the idol, before the Manta Ray wrapped his arms around her and in one great leap skyrocketed into the sky.

"And there it is! Kraken Maw is our first qualifying guild!" Natsu once again looked across the city indifferently. Kraken Maw didn't matter to him yet. His eyes followed the golden pillar that was Fairy Tail grow ever closer to their final destination.

"Come on…" Natsu huffed.  
Back in the streets Lia, Kinana and Alzack had finally caught up to Nab. Resistance was becoming more minimal as they watched the other pillars draw nearer to them. And that's when a familiar trio of very attractive young man and Ichiya burst through an alley and onto the main street with them.

"Men! It seems you have also wrestled control of a golden idol, well done, Fairy Tail. We shall run with you to the coliseum!"

"Ichiya, do you think Jenny will be okay?" Ren asked. Ichiya nodded while posed then pointed dramatically to their goal.

"Let us advance! Men!"

"The next qualifying guild is… Blue Pegasus! Immediately followed by Fairy Tail!" Natsu bellowed in delight and bounded around his balcony, making punching gestures and eventually rolling around on the dirty floor. He couldn't contain his excitement. They'd done it. "Up next we have Lamia Scale, then Saber Tooth, and finally Quatro Cerberus! We have some good looking teams folks. The guild with the most takedowns for the qualifiers is Lamia Scale. I mean they have a wizard saint participating, I'd sure hate to face them come the group stage! This has been your qualifier coverage, I'll see you all in a few days!" Natsu clicked off the lacrima and grinned. It was going to be a fun time from here on out.

 **The Next Afternoon**

Natsu wasn't happy. He tugged at the collar of his pressed shirt feeling uncomfortably claustrophobic. He had never worn 'proper' clothes before, and he could say already that he was definitely not a fan.

The whole thing felt wrong. He was sitting around a long table with Ooba, Bob, Goldmine, and a huge man with a big ugly nose. And then there was empty seat where the Kraken Maw guild master was supposed to be. But at the end of the table was the most important person in the room. King Toma Fiore.

Natsu felt sweat build on his forehead as he reached for his utensils, but there were too many and he had no clue which he was supposed to use for what. He gulped and looked up desperately for help. Ooba raised her eyebrows and set her eyes on the smaller fork. Natsu gave her a subtle head bow and grabbed it. He wanted to dig in but forced himself to be moderate, though it was a painful decision.

"So Master Dragneel, it made my heart weep to hear about your guild," the King said from across the table. Natsu quickly swallowed what was in his mouth and began to speak, but he recalled he hadn't wiped his mouth. He did so in a quick motion and cleared his throat.

"It was difficult at first, but I know they'll be back." Some of the other guild masters gave each other looks. Bob and Goldmine, however, smiled.

"Makarov would be proud," Bob assured Natsu. "You've been doing a fantastic job so far. You're nearing a year now, correct?" Natsu nodded in response before sipping from his glass of champagne. He didn't really like the taste but he felt fancy doing it.

"Hmph, he's a weakling and a fool," the man with the red nose huffed. "They're dead and won't be returning, and from what I can tell you no longer have a single S-class mage in your guild. Saber Tooth will obliterate you in the group stage." Natsu began to laugh aloud, which shocked the present company more than Jiemma's outburst had. Natsu regained his composure and glared Jiemma down, his face now completely still and a cold fire burned in his eyes.

"You're going to see…"

The door suddenly burst open, interrupting anything else happening in the room. The guards at the walls all moved their hands for their weapons but as soon as they saw who it was, they eased up.

She was the most enormous woman Natsu had ever seen. She was easily as tall as Jiemma, and equally as wide. Her long black hair was shaved but the mohawk on top, but then it spiraled out in a great ponytail of wound dreadlocks. She was covered in tribal tattoos, most of which were covered by her huge pants, boots, and black tube top. Over it she wore the white jacket of a wizard saint, and all across her abdomen was a glowing guild mark that looked like an enormous quid. She was the guild master of Kraken Maw.

"You're late, Ne'e!" The King laughed as she sat at the other end of the table. She looked down the grand banquet and reached for the entire platter of roasted bird, before tearing into chunks with her hands. She dug in voraciously, and Natsu looked at her in shock and envy. He began to eat like regular Natsu, though he attempted to do so more cleanly than the brute beside him.

"Yes," Ne'e declared with a mouthful. She picked up a bottle of wine and downed it in seconds. "I am late. The tide ebbs and flows, and currents swirl. But all fish swim where they need to in the end." After sharing her philosophical excuse for her tardiness she returned to the food.

"How barbaric…" Ooba huffed. Ne'e looked up as meat hing from her teeth and smiled wide.

"Life is too short for the constraints of man. The ocean is wild, untameable, and powerful. I live my life by the flow of the ocean, not by the rules of man." She turned her head to Natsu. "This one, this one is moving. You all though, you are all stagnant. Stagnation only breeds pestilence."

"This woman is an affront!" Jiemma roared, standing up and smacking his palms on the table. Further down King Toma laughed hysterically. He snapped his fingers and small door in the corner opened.

"Come out, Hisui! Come meet these fine people!" A young girl dressed in elegant silks with green hair bashfully entered the room and hid behind her father's chair. "Everyone, this is my daughter, Princess Hisui E Fiore."

"Ahh, she as well moves powerfully. Her future holds promise. But risk as well," Ne'e stated. Natsu ket staring at her ponderously. She seemed more like a priestess than any sort of mage or guild master. "Now, I will tell all of you this instant, that my guild is filled with powerful wizards. I am excited to see what you all bring to the table, but I guarantee that I will win. That is all." She stood up, wiped her mouth and strode out of the room. Everyone was dumbstruck. Besides Natsu, who had never been more curious in his life. And beyond that he wanted to fight her.

But he knew there'd be time for that. For now, he had to prepare for tomorrow. The games had almost begun.

 _A/N: I feel like growth has stagnated. And I'm in the process of writing chapter 17 but I've been blocked since I released 8 so I need to get out of this slump. PM if u wanna help me bounce ideas around, I could use a lil inspiration/ assistance._


	11. Chapter 11- Day One

**Chapter 11- Day One**

"Welcome to the Grand Magic Games! Welcome to our live audience, people from far and wide have come to Crocus to watch the six qualifying Wizard Guilds compete in games and fights for the honor and accolades of victory! So let's introduce the teams!" The crowd was electric, chanting and screaming, waving banners and celebrating the exciting new event.

Natsu sat high above the rabble in the special box designed for the qualifying guilds. But he was just as excited. He leaned against the stone crenellation and glared down into the bowl, waiting expectantly. Behind him sat the rest of the members of Fairy Tail who'd come, chiefly Shadow Gear, Macao, Wakaba and Warren.

"First, the most beautiful guild in all of Fiore! They've produced more Miss Fiore's than any other guilds, they have a fabulous leader! Put your hands together for Blue Pegasus!" The first gate rolled open slowly and multi colored fog whooshed out from underneath. It glowed with glitter and sparkles as fireworks began to go off high over the coliseum. The crowd went wild as Ichiya, Ren, Eve, Hibiki and Jenny took to the stadium. Macao and Wakaba sat up and scrambled to the edge of the box to get a better view of Jenny, to which Natsu rolled his eyes. He sized up the first opponent and smirked. He had no clue what kind of magic Jenny used, but the rest of them were formidable.

"Alright, next up! They're a super strong guild, hell they have a wizard saint here competing! Give it up for the one and only Lamia Scale!" Natsu saw the familiar faces move into the center. He smiled down at Lyon, Sherry, Toby, Yuka and Jura. Jura spotted Natsu from the center and waved. Of all the guilds here, Lamia Scale was the one Natsu figured was the strongest. But Fairy Tail would put up a good fight. And speaking of Fairy Tail…

"This guild lost half of its mages, but still came to win! Join me in welcoming Fairy Tail!" Natsu jumped and cheered and shot a spout of fire into the air as his friends marched in. they all smiled at the spectacle their guild master was putting on for them.

"These dogs are pretty wild! Let's hear it for Quatro Cerberus!" Natsu had no clue who these guys were, but none of them looked particularly strong.

"Next up, from the mountains, these beasts are here to wreak havoc! The one, the only, Saber Tooth!" Natsu once again looked on indifferently as they entered.

"And finally, the guild that made it through the qualifier the fastest!" The gate slid open and water spilled out of it. The higher it got the more water rushed, and the contestants already out in the center seemed annoyed as water surged past their feet. "From way out across the narrow straight, clap your hands for Kraken Maw!" And as the gate reached the water stopped and five wizards slogged through it.

Bisca and Alzack looked at each other in shock. Spearheading Kraken Maw was Malcolm, and behind him was Sarah and Fox. It was the heisters from the House of the Rising Sun.

"How the fuck?" Bisca whispered to Alzack. Alzack shook his head and leaned in closer to her.

"I mean they aren't part of a dark guild. They were known criminals but if some bailed them out I can see why they could be here…" he whispered.

"Alright, and there you have it! The six participating guilds! And now we'll quickly summarize our rules. Over the next six days we'll hold six main events. The placement of each time decides how many points they earn, going down by a multiple of two starting at ten. So the last place team won't get any points that day. There'll also be one fight per day, which have already been chosen by the King himself. The loser of each fight loses half the points their guild earned that day!"

Natsu went back to his chair and sat. He had read through the rules already and didn't understand them thoroughly, but he knew the basic concept. He just wanted it to get started.

"Let's get this party started!" The announcer roared. The crowd screamed back their approval. "Alright, guilds, you may return to your booths! But leave one of each of your members for the first challenge!"

The members of Team Bisca glanced around until Nab stepped forward.

"You guys go on, I can handle what they throw at me. If we get a good placement we'll have momentum, which matters a lot."

And with that six contestant were left in the center. A big beefy man from Kraken Maw, a small blonde boy from Saber Tooth, Eve, Yuka, another blonde guy with awful hair from Quatro Cerberus, and Nab.

The ground beneath them began to rumble and pitch. The are they stood in separated from the rest of the arena and slowly elevated as the rest of the floor dropped. It filled with water quickly, causing the big man from Kraken Maw to grin manically.

"The rules of this game are simple! Inside the lake there are hidden treasures! The guild that brings the most to the surface wins! As soon as the treasure leaves the water, it's in, but as it surfaces anyone can steal it. You will begin in one minute! I hope you can hold your breaths!"

Nab took a wide stance and shifted into turtle. It was his only aquatic stance, and it didn't do much to help him swim, but it would extend his breath. He glanced up the row of other mages who seemed less prepared than him. Eve was building snow magic in his hands but snow wouldn't do much good here. Ice maybe, but not snow. But at the end of the line the tall Kraken Maw wizard stood casually.

The siren sounded and Nab leapt into the water immediately. It was clear enough to see very far into, and at the bottom of the lake was a maze of broken ship pieces and a forest of kelp. He dove deeper and carved into the kelp, each stroke from his arms and legs shaking the vibrant green walls. From the corner of his eyes he saw something glide between kelps. Nab stopped swimming and held his position, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

And then a swarm of eels surged towards him from all around. He crossed his arms and assumed the turtle defensive position as they struck him, doing little harm to him. He then spun and knocked his beads into the small creatures, irritating them and sending them swimming off. And then there it was, glinting right in front of him. A small golden disc. He took a hold of it firmly and ascended to the surface of the water, sticking out the golden disc happily.

"And that's one for Fairy Tail!" Said the announcer. Natsu and his guildmates cheered as Nab quickly dipped back under the surface. "That puts Fairy Tail in a tie for third with Quatro Cerberus. Sabertooth sits in second with two, and Kraken Maw holds a strong first!"

Nab went deeper and as he did so saw Yuka of Lamia Scale swimming fast towards the goal. But then a huge shadow blotted the light from over him. He looked like a combination of a hammerhead shark and a man and he was headed straight for Yuka. It was the Kraken Maw mage, and it seemed that he was in his element. With a quick tackle Yuka lost hold of the ivory tusk and began to float upwards. The hammerhead man smiled at Nab, who decided trying to contest wouldn't be prudent. Nab kept on swimming downwards, realizing this was the superior option.

He swam his way into a sunken barge and quickly spotted a glowing green orb. Without hesitation Nab pried it out of it's decorated dias. But then the ship rumbled and the boards began to collapse. Nab scrambled to swim out of the way of the debris, but as he did so a huge blast of snow hit him. Eve grinned and rounded on Nab, trying to pry the orb away, but Nab had a tight grip. The two wrestled beneath the water when they heard a terrifying roar. It was the hammerhead.

Eve's widened and he tried to fire off a blast of snow. The snow was slowed by the water around it but still managed to create a large vision impairing cloud. This gave Nab a window to swim up. Even saw Nab making a dash and used his snow fang move to halt him. Nab recoiled from the cold and painful blow, this time dropping the sphere reflexively. Eve snatched it up and pumped his muscles as hard as he could to reach the top, but the hammerhead whipped his huge grey neck and impacted against Eve's chest. The orb flew off to the side and Nab regained his possession of the prize.

Eve hit the hammerhead with another snow attack and kept his focus away from Nab. Which the Fairy Tail wizard used to his full advantage.

"Another treasure recovered by Fairy Tail! This puts them in sole possession of third place!"

"Yes! Go Nab!" Kinana screamed. She high-fived bisca and Lia happily as the large magical scoreboard rotated lazily in the air high above the arena stage. They were close to catching up to Sabertooth, but Natsu had a feeling Kraken Maw would be taking the victory today. Luck was on their side today, but tomorrow they wouldn't have this kind of advantage. At least he hoped. He gazed across the coliseum to the Kraken Maw box where Ne'e was kneeling. But the other members of the guild cheered. Natsu looked up at the scoreboard and saw that their teammate was Aaron, a takeover mage. He frowned and figured luck must've really been favoring Ne'e today.

Back in the water Nab had managed to retrieve another small treasure, but he saw that several other contestants were also surfacing with prizes at the same time. And then from the depths he could clearly hear,

"Takeover! Leviathan Soul!" Aaron went from hammerhead form to an enormous green one with eight massive tentacles. He wrapped them around the legs of each escaping wizard and dragged them towards himself. Nab shifted his stance to tiger, where he had less air but different moves.

He drove his clawed hands into the tentacle and pulled up, shredding it and releasing several plumes of black blood into the cerulean water. Aaron howled in pain further down and Nab quickly swam his way back to the top. The tentacle flailed and tried to reach for Nab once again, but it couldn't reach him in time.

The rest weren't as lucky, however. Eve, the Quatro wizard, and the Sabertooth wizard were all thrashed and their items were taken by Aaron. And as Aaron exploded from the water the siren blew again.

"Alright contestants, the half hour is over! Everyone back on land!" The arena shook once more as the water dropped and more solid land rose. Nab raised the Fairy Tail sign at Natsu up in the box with a huge grin.

"In first place with over ten treasures, we have Aaron of Kraken Maw!" the crowd whooped and shrieked for the leader, and a huge section of the stands were waving the green and black flag of the guild.

"In second, with three treasures, we have Fairy Tail." Natsu crossed his arms and nodded to Nab approvingly.

"In third we have Sabertooth with two, Quatro Cerberus had one, and Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale were tied with none. However, Yuka of Lamia Scale had control of a treasure longer than Eve of Blue Pegasus and as such are awarded fifth place! And now, a brief fifteen minute intermission before the first fight is announced!"

* * *

"You did fuckin fantastic out there, Nab!" Natsu exclaimed proudly as he smacked his friend on the shoulder. Nab smiled and sat himself down, running a towel through his hair quickly to dry it off.

"I certainly did the best I could. We have eight points, I think that's a fair amount of points to start the games with."

"It is. And if we get picked for the first fight we'll have to work hard to keep them. But I have faith in all of you. You're the best we have and we'll prove that we're a force to be reckoned with!" Fairy Tail cheered as Natsu spurred them on.

"Fans, spectators, contestants! It is now time for our first duel! Today's matchup will be two of the strongest wizards in attendance! We have Jura Neekis of Lamia Scale and Bacchus Groh of Quatro Cerberus!"

They took to the center proudly. Bacchus was garbed in poofy pants and shoulder pauldrons, but nothing else. He raised his gourd to the audience before taking a hearty swig. Across from him Jura stood quietly. He sized Bacchus up and took a step forward.

"Begin!" The announcer cried. Bacchus engaged first. He leapt off the ground and closed the gap between the two in several bounds before spinning to deliver a large chop. Jura raised a wall of earth between the two and sent the slab flying. Bacchus sprinted over it and landed his attack on Jura's shoulder.

Jura recoiled and slid back across the earth but punished bacchus' momentary pause in the air. A huge fist of earth erupted from beneath the drunken fighter and tossed him in the air. Jura then slung several columns of rock in his direction, but this time Bacchus was more prepared. He put his gourd to his mouth once more and dexterously dodged between the pillars, and angled himself at a proper vector to take another shot at Jura. He flew through the air and delivered a forceful palm strike to Jura's head. Jura was flung back across the field losing his footing. He rolled across the ground and tried to pick himself back up quickly, but Bacchus was there.

"It looks like the wizard saint is having difficulty! This isn't a huge surprise, Bacchus is in fact an S-class mage!" Jura grunted and a slid a dome of earth around himself to block bacchus' next attack, but it only bought him a little time. The palm strikes were extremely powerful and cracks began to run up along the shell. But then it dropped all together and a spire of stone hit Bacchus in the abdomen. Bacchus crumpled, winded, and Jura raised two slabs from the ground. He pulled them together with Bacchus in between, sandwiching his opponent.

But to his surprise Bacchus was fighting back, and he stood between the two plates shaking. Jura concentrated harder and put more energy into smashing the Cerberus mage, but he couldn't And then Bacchus dropped all of his efforts and kicked out of the hold. He spun in the air landed right in front of Jura with a grin. His palms lashed out and hit Jura on several key pressure points. Jura grimaced in tense pain but put his hands together and swung them down at Bacchus. The force was tremendous. Bacchus fell to the ground again, but this time Jura loomed over him.

Jura clapped his hands and widened his legs, squatting slightly. He had only practiced this move a few times and was by no means a master at it, but he might as well give the people a showy finisher.

The ground around him shook and he glanced down at Bacchus, who was stunned in fear.

"Rumbling Mount Fuji!" Jura bellowed. A pillar of light struck the ground and Bacchus and for a few moments the entire audience was unable to see into the ring. But when the light faded the earth was cracked and shattered, and Bacchus was unconscious.

Jura crossed his arms once again, sweating profusely. The move had completely drained him.

"We have a winner! Jura Neekis of Lamia Scale!" The crowd erupted into cheers. Natsu grinned and looked at his guild, who were all dumbfounded.

"Hey, there's a silver lining. None of you have to fight him now," Natsu laughed. But Natsu sure as hell wanted to fight Jura. He still owed him for that one time, in fact. But Jura was stronger now than he must have been all those months ago. Either way, the performance was incredible and Natsu was excited to see who'd be down there from Fairy Tail.

"Alright everyone! Now let's go over the standings for day one! In the lead we have Kraken Maw with ten points! Close behind them with eight, it's Fairy Tail! Sabertooth sits in the top three as well with six points! Lamia scale trails in fourth with two points to their name! Quatro Cerberus is tied with two, having earned four in the event but losing half after Bacchus was defeated. And then at the back with no points at all, Blue Pegasus! Thanks for coming out today folks, tomorrow we'll be back with more coverage of our exciting Grand Magic Games! Contestants, remember to be back in your rooms by midnight!" And with that the announcer clicked off.

Natsu watched the scoreboard and thought of Makarov. He wished that his mentor had been here to see this. He felt a little bit of pity for Blue Pegasus, but luck hadn't been kind to them today. They were the polar opposites of Kraken Maw in that regard. Luckily there were five more days, which meant any guild could edge over the other, and that Fairy Tail had to work hard to keep their second place spot. But for now…

"Hey everyone, let's go out on the town and celebrate!" Natsu declared. They cheered along with him, and as one big unit they all made their way out of the arena and into the streets of Crocus.

* * *

They were in the biggest and most lavish bar in Crocus. Natsu had seen it and immediately knew that's where he wanted to be.

Inside the large bar and club, Macao and Wakaba danced around giddily in the middle of the dance floor while Lia and Kinana laughed and chatted at a table nearby. Bisca and Alzack were not present, saying they had other business to attend. Shadow Gear drank and socialized at the bar and Natsu sat at the furthest corner away from them. The bartender slid him an ale and he took a sip casually.

The time to unwind was very much appreciated. He laid his arms on the polished stone surface and looked down at his very distorted reflection. In another world he might be here cavorting with Gray and Lucy. He chuckled under his breath and looked back up. There was no use pondering on what ifs, he was here, and he was happy.

The door opened to the bar and Bob fluttered in with Jenny in tow. Macao and Wakaba froze solid and began to drool as she passed by, but her attention wasn't on them.

"Congratulations on an amazing first day," Bob congratulated as he and Jenny took seats on either side of Natsu.

"Thanks, Bob. Rough day for _you_ though…" He said as he pulled the tankard to his lips. Bob laughed, but the laugh quickly faded into a depressed exhalation.

"I've read a lot about you," Jenny chimed in to Natsu. She leaned against her hand and looked up at him.

Across the room, Macao and Wakaba cried to themselves wishing she would put her eyes on them.

"Oh, have you? I didn't think there was a whole lot written." He put his tankard down and swiveled a bit back and forth.

"Haha, there's not too much actually. But I've heard things too. You took down Oracion Seis, then saved your guild from an alternate reality, then were thrust into being a guild master. Then you beat saint Jura, defeated _another_ dark guild, and here you are! It's quite impressive!" Her eyes glittered and she sat up a bit more tall.

"She's totally fucking flirting with him," Lia said disdainfully a ways away. She didn't know why, but something about that aggravated her. Could she… No. Lia shook her head and went back to conversing with Kinana.

"I guess that's all of my notable achievements of the last year. Not too impressive…" Natsu brushed her off. Jenny opened her mouth to speak again, but Bob put his hand on Natsu's shoulder and redirected the boy's focus.

"We came tonight because I wanted you to have this," and Bob extended his free hand. It was a small lightning bolt necklace. "This used to be Makarov's, and I was going to keep holding on to it. But you have such unwavering faith in your lost member's return that I think you should have it." natsu took it in his hands and felt moisture bead up at the corner of his eyes.

Images of gramps flashed into his mind, all of his cherished memories with the third master. He closed his hands and smiled Bob.

"Thank you, Bob. I'll take good care of it." Bob grinned and hopped off the stool.

"I know you will child. Be warned, my guild will come back fighting tomorrow. Let's go, Jenny." Jenny got off her stool and gave Natsu an amorous look.

"I hope we can talk again soon."

And then the two members of Blue Pegasus strutted out of the bar and into the night of Crocus.

* * *

Malcolm sat in on a bench by the docks of where Kraken Maw's flagship was docked. He kicked his feet up on a crate and let a cloud of cigar smoke blow into the sky.

Footsteps across the uneven cobblestone rang out and he guessed by the density that it wasn't anyone he knew.

"Who tha fuck is here?" He asked gruffly, never turning around. He took the cigar out of his mouth and twirled it in one hand.

"How the hell are you allowed to participate in these games?" Bisca sked. She and Alzack stopped where they stood and glared at Malcolm. Upon hearing and recognizing the voice, Malcolm began to guffaw loudly. His poor lungs gave out quickly though, and he burst into a fit of coughs.

"Oh, you two are fuckin lil detectives aren't ya? When I saws ya out there earlier today me and the lads had good laugh." Malcolm finally got to his feet and turned around. He looked the same as the last time they'd seen him. A tattered green vest and matching green bandana with is cropped beard and tangly hair.

"You know what, I might as well tell ya. But it'll disappoint ya both. We got paid for. Ne'e, our new guild master, heard about us and liked the sounds of us. We were a good prospect I spose. So she paid a couple thousand jewel, and we've been free ever since!" Malcolm held out his arms to the sky and laughed once more.

Bisca and Alzack glanced at each other. They both figured that had been the case.

"Anyways, I don't hold a huge grudge against tha two o' you. Ya was doing yer jobs, just like I was tryin to do mine." He extended a hand to Bisca. She wasn't quite sure about it, but took it anyway. He had a firm grip but he didn't pull any funny business. He repeated the gesture with Alzack, and that was it.

"But lemme tell tha two o' you. If I get matched against ye tomorrow, or any other day. I'll beat you so fuckin hard that you won't be able to fuck each other for months. Now have a good night, we can socialize all we wanna tomorrow. I'm sure Sarah would like to say hi to you," Malcolm joked with Alzack. The mage in question flushed and Bisca looked to him with a raised eyebrow. Malcolm began to laugh as he made his way up the gangplank into the boat.


	12. Chapter 12- Trials

**Chapter 12- Trials and Tribulations**

It was a new day. And once again the city of Crocus and all of the spectators of the Grand Magic Games had gathered inside the arena to watch the contest of magic. And the contest was fierce. A black bridge loomed over an icy pit and cold wind howled. Six wizards stood atop it waiting for the instructions.

"Contestants! You stand on the bridge. The premise is simple. Stay on the bridge and try to knock everyone else off! The order you stayed on determines your place, with the last man standing taking all ten! Ready… Begin!"

Kinana looked around in a panic as the bridge shook violently. Further down the bridge through the snow storm she vaguely made out A figure approaching her. It was the silver haired water mage from Kraken Maw.

The girl, Diana, threw out a scythe of water towards Kinana but froze before it reached its target and fell to the ground. Diana looked at the shattered ice on the ground then up at Kinana scowling.

Kinana grinned and steaming purple raced up her arms. The snowflakes that touched them sizzled and melted on contact. Diana's eyes widened and she turned around, sprinting back into the storm.

The curse wielder tried to follow her, but the low visibility and buffeting winds made it too difficult.

At the other end of the bridge the Quatro Cerberus mage was blasted by a wall of flying rocks and thrown from the edge. Minerva smiled and scanned across the bridge for new targets. Using her space manipulation the air grew warmer and the snow was temporarily halted.

Hibiki of Blue Pegasus was only a few feet from her, hoping to surprise her. But his strategy was nullified now. The bridge rumbled and one of the statues on the side crumbled and fell into the chasm. In a crackling and furious instant a huge rift tore open in the space beside Hibiki, and the broken stones flew into him instead, knocking him off the bridge. Minerva felt as if she was unstoppable, and began to slowly walk in the other direction.

With a shriek, Diana flew high into the air above Minerva and into the chasm. Minerva's eyes widened as a howling ice dragon winded in the air and dove for her. Minerva quickly threw her hands up and used her territory magic to disable the attack. As the dragon disappeared Lyon stuttered out of the storm looking indifferent.

"Oh, you manipulate space. That's interesting. Ice Make, Tiger!" Lyon yelled as he flicked his wrist. They rushed for Minerva but she simply moved her hands and removed them from existence. Lyon scowled and dashed to the side as the bridge shook again. Another huge chunk of the bridge cracked and fell away from the main construct. Minerva smirked and tossed it in Lyon's direction but he simply summoned a dragon of ice and jumped on its back, avoiding the attack. He flipped forward and fell to the ground, placing his palms on the black stone. A huge wave of ice shot itself across the bridge and formed beneath Minerva's feet. He then flicked up another hand used Ice Make Eagle to distract her. Minerva predictably focused on dispelling the wave of incoming ice, but failed to recognize the slippery layer beneath her feet. Lyon grinned and stood up, blasting a torrent of snow at Minerva. She heated up the air and tried to rush towards lyon, but she lost her footing and fell on her back. Lyon changed the curvature of the ice to angle straight off the bridge. She grimaced as her body flew over the side, but it would have to take more than that to finish Minerva.

She switched places with Lyon, who now found himself tumbling out of the arena.

"Ice Make, Wings!" Lyon shouted quickly, and he fluttered back onto the bridge. He glared down at Minerva, who in turn glared up at him.

"It looks like we're at a stalemate!" Lyon called down. Minerva raised an eyebrow as a vicious grin cracked across her face.

"Is that what you think this is? Well I'll tell you I…" But Minerva couldn't finish. Kinana tackled the Sabertooth wizard and the two of them careened off the side. Minerva howled and tried to switch places with Kinana, only to realize in horror that they were both going down.

Lyon watched this unfold and sweat dropped, but he was happy nonetheless. The siren blew and the stadium quaked as worked to reset itself.

"W-well that was a…. An unorthodox finish, to say the least…" The announcer stammered. Natsu stood on the crenellations of his box with his jaw wide, and eyes bulging. He was shocked, as was the rest of fairy Tail, the spectators, and everyone participating. Only Ne'e was unfazed, laughing heavily in her box.

"Well, in first place with the ten points, Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale," muttered the announcer. He was still in disbelief. But the energy was definitely coming back.

"I've just received word from the judges that though Kinana and Minerva fell at the same time, since Kinana was the one who technically flung Minerva over, Fairy Tail places second and Sabertooth third!"

Natsu went from stunned to elated in less than a second. He threw his arms in the air and cheered loudly, fling his arms around Nab and tackling the poor man to the ground.

"Haha! We got fucking second! We did it again!" Natsu exclaimed as he choked the life out of Nab. Nab croaked and Natsu realized he was being too rough, and letting go of his comrade Natsu refocused on the scoreboard.

"In third, of course, is Sabertooth with six points. Kraken Maw falls a fair bit from yesterday's performance, earning a measly four points. Blue Pegasus accomplishes something, and garners two more. And in last we have Quatro Cerberus. Once again, enjoy a fifteen minute intermission while we reset for today's duel…" And the announcements clicked off once more.

* * *

Nab picked up Kinana and put her on his shoulder as Fairy Tail celebrated her enthusiastically. She was absolutely beaming as her guild surrounder her with positive energy.

"That was amazing, Kinana!" Lia yelled. And everyone shared similar opinions as she got off Nab and sat down.

"Oh, I don't know. I think i could've done better…" Kinana began but Bisca put a hand over her mouth.

"That's absolutely false. You got second! I don't think you could see from where you were, but Minerva was terrifying. And _you_ took her down. That's crazy!" Kinana smiled under Bisca's palm and the guild all laughed.

"She's right. You made us proud out there." Natsu assured. And when Natsu spoke it was law. Kinana nodded happily as the loud speaker blared back into existence.

"Alright, on to today's duel! Can we get a warm welcome for Jenny Realight and Minerva Orland!"

Jenny strode out in her elegant dress and pirouetted for the crowd, who began to cheer wildly. Minerva scoffed at the weak display. Beauty meant nothing, strength did. Minerva held her hands up as they glowed with power. Jenny made a quick glance into the stands up at Bob, and then a quick look at Natsu.

"Takeover, Machina Soul! Battlemode!" Jenny glowed with energy and her body changed, covered in a form fitting and revealing red outfit. It was covered in strips of metal and bolts.

"Hmph, what armor does the boob window provide?" Minerva taunted. Jenny brushed it off as she surged forward sprinting. Her feet bounded across the dirt and she moved her momentum into a flying kick. Minerva shifted Jenny's position to further across the stadium and began to pulse the air, hitting Jenny from all sides.

The Blue Pegasus mage screamed in pain as she was battered by the force from the attacks. Minerva broke into a sadistic smile as the pulsating increased, but Jenny changed her form. She shifted into a heavy suit of black armor that covered her in her entirety, leaving no visible attributes. The pulses collided with the armor but did little damage. Jenny took a gargantuan step forward, the impact of said footstep shaking the dirt. Then another slow footstep.

Minerva huffed, seeing her attacks were useless. She ceased the barrage and instead channeled her power into a blow as she swung at Jenny. The punch dented the front of the armor and toppled it easily.

"This match is starting to look very one sided!" The announcer called. "None of Jenny's transformations have much of an effect on Minerva!"

"Stick to modeling, dumb bimbo!" Minerva roared. But then the black armor was surrounded by a beam of light. Rising out of it was Jenny surrounded in a red skinsuit, the outsides on her back and shoulders covered in an exoskeletal suit.

She hovered in the air and smirked down at Minerva. From the arms several pieces roasted and whirred, forming two enormous guns.

"Fuck you, bitch." The guns glowed with energy as a hail of energy shots ripped into the air. Minerva held up her palms and the beams were redirected at jenny, flying at the takeover wizard from all angles.

With great speed and dexterity Jenny flew through the air, avoiding the bolts as she continued to fire more. Two missile pods lid out of her shoulders and rockets the size of pencils flew at the ground all around Minerva. Dirt and dust was kicked up and Minerva threw her arms in front of her face to protect her eyes.

But she felt the air before her glow hot. Through the cloud of dust a red beam scythed its way into Minerva, hitting her square in the chest. She flew back and hit the wall, which cracked behind her with the impact.

Across the stadium, Jenny lowered her arms. And floated down to the surface. Minerva grunted but stood back up. She wouldn't go down so easily.

But Jenny had other plans. Flying back up into the air Jenny let out a volley of missiles, before her arms changed weapons types to two glowing black lances. Minerva managed to to subdue the missiles, but as she did so she saw Jenny stick the lances into the air where they crackled with black energy. An orb of churning matter formed in the air, and Jenny stabbed it with one of her lances. She then fired the thrusters on her back and dove for Minerva.

With wide eyes Minerva realized she couldn't switch places with Jenny because she'd still be in the path of the attack.

Jiemma stood up in his box and punched the stone crenellations, cracking them. He watched enraged as Jenny brought down her finishing move, ripping into Minerva and exploding with incredible power. A bright light glowed so intensely that the stadium couldn't see for several moments. But when they refocused their vision, Jenny stood at the center once again in her beautiful evening wear. And Minerva was collapsed on the ground with burnt clothing and scorches on her body.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!" Blue Pegasus cheered and hung out of their box, ecstatic to have won something at the tournament finally.

Natsu couldn't deny he was impressed, and found himself making eye contact with Jenny. He saw something in her eyes and couldn't quite place what it was, but either way he smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

"With the events of today over, let's recap the current points and standings! Moving in to take control of first place with sixteen points, Magnolia's own Fairy Tail!"

Fairy Tail went wild. You'd think they had just won the Grand Magic Games with how they were acting.

"Second place is Kraken Maw, who are only two short points behind Fairy Tail! Moving up to third, Lamia Scale with twelve! At ten points, they could have taken second if not for their loss earlier, Sabertooth! And finally, tied for fifth with two points a piece, Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus! Tune in tomorrow for our coverage of day three of Fiore's Grand Magic Games!"

* * *

"What's wrong, Lia?" Kinana asked as they sat in their room. Lia leaned against the window and gazed across the night skyline of Crocus. There was a light drizzle and the lights of the city shone against the clouds.

"You know, in the rain, the pavement shines like gold and silver…" Lia murmured. She had sort of zoned out and not heard Kinana. Bisca sighed and got off of her bed.

"Lia, are you okay?" Bisca asked, touching her teammate of the shoulder. Lia looked up, broken out of her reverie.

"Yeah, I think so… It's really dumb…" Bisca saw the look that was etched on the blonde's face and knew what it was immediately.

"Oh my god, it's a boy!" Lia blushed and turned away from the other girls, hiding her shame in the window. "Who is it? Please tell us we swear we won't tell anyone!" Bisca had gone from warm mother to giddy gossip girl. She was only eighteen, an adolescent by all accounts. And this was the shit she used to live for at old Fairy Hills.

"Ugh, promise you won't act all weird if I tell you?" Kinana and Bisca nodded at her request. "Well… I guess I like, like Natsu. Like, I like like him." Lia was so embarrassed she had used the word like easily a dozen times.

Her two teammates looked at each other, then at Lia, and then they screamed.

"Ohmygod, no way! How long?!" Bisca asked.

"Well, for awhile he was just the hot guild master. But he acted really fatherly, even if it was kinda immature. But one day I realized he's my age, he's super good looking, he's strong, he's fun to be around… But now he's out there with Jenny, who's older and hotter than I am, and strong as hell. I knew that I had no chance, but stil…"

"Well, if it's any consolation the only girl that ever really had a chance with Natsu was Lucy. You didn't know her, she was at Tenrou, but they were best friends. But Natsu is so oblivious," Bisca really stressed the 'so.' "He says he liked a girl once and it was probably Lucy, in his own weird way. Wait this is stupid, I'm definitely not making it better. What I'm trying to say is, don't worry about Jenny. She won't have any success with Natsu…"

Meanwhile, down in the streets of the capital Natsu walked beside Jenny. It was night, but still a couple of hours before the midnight curfew that Jenny had to abide by. The lamps lit the moody night sky with a yellow tinge and all sorts of festive ribbons were hung over the market street. Even at this hour it was bustling with activity.

"I have a long list of people that I want to fight but with being a guild master it'll be ages before I can. You're definitely pretty high up there," Natsu told his companion as they strolled casually. Jenny giggled, flattered.

"I'm honored, Master Dragneel…" Natsu looked at her in a sort of flat disappointment. She giggled again and corrected herself. "Natsu."

"So how does you magic work, anyway?" He asked. They passed a stand with small baubles and Natsu picked one up, feeling it.

"Well it's basic takeover magic, but with a twist. See, most people who use takeover magic have to get the souls they use from a living thing, like a monster or an animal. But me, I get souls from machines. It has to be a machine that does something though. My best one is Exo, which was an ancient machine I found during an S class mission. It got here from space, but I can't delve that deep into its memories…"

"That's pretty badass. And I didn't know you were an S class mage, that's hella cool!" Jenny blushed a soft pink at the constant praise. "Not even I'm an S class mage. Officially, at least. I beat Jura so I might as well be."

Jenny put her arms behind her back as they walked and a brief silence fell between them.

"Hey, Natsu? It's been almost a year, right?" The two stopped walking and looked into each other's eyes, and Jenny saw a turbulent storm in the fourth master. "I don't want to bring anything too painful up, but how do you stay so strong?"

"For them," Natsu replied instantly. "I gotta be strong for when they come back. So that they'll have a home to return to." Sensing that it was all a bit serious, Natsu dosed it with some comedy. "And so I can kick everyone's ass, too." He opened his mouth to a big toothy grin. Jenny laughed and the two started up their walk again.

"Before they left, did you have anyone special?"

"All of them."

"But like, a girl?"

Natsu looked down at the ground and her face flashed into his mind briefly. He had thought of her as an absolute, someone who would always be there. So he had never told her how he felt. And it was something he regretted every day.

"No, I don't think so," Natsu said slowly as his eyes went back up to Jenny. "Why?" She smiled but said nothing, instead she took a quick step up to Natsu and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks for taking me out tonight. I'll see you soon! And hopefully we can have a fight!" And she took off down the sidewalk towards Blue Pegasus' lodgings.

Natsu stood in the street, deep in thought. It was not something he'd ever considered. But how long was too long to wait? Did it even matter? He shook his head. It didn't matter. He only had one focus, and that was the success of the guild. He put his hands in his pockets and sauntered back in the direction of the inn, in full aim of the tears of the sky.

 **Day Three of the Games**

"Inside this jungle there are a wide variety of monsters. Each of you will get a half an hour inside to kill as many as possible. At the center is a lake with the most powerful of all. If you beat it, you instantly get the ten points. If you fail, you instantly get zero points, no exception. Furthermore, the lake monster is the only of its kind, so if the first person in there beats him, he's gone. Our first contestant is from the last place team, Jenny Realight. Your half hour begins now."

The siren sounded and Jenny strutted into the jungle in her heels and dress. For once, Natsu seemed focused on her, which Lia noticed disdainfully.

"Takeover! Machina soul!" She was suddenly armed with saws, hooks, and cables that ran around a jagged and intimidating machine covering. The soul had been taken from a machine in Jenny's favorite butcher shop, and butcher she did.

The half hour flew by and Jenny had racked up an impressive sixty-seven kills. Natsu applauded her loudly as she exited the jungle, which pleased her greatly.

The Quatro Cerberus wizard who proceeded Jenny was significantly less impressive. With twenty kills exactly. Natsu honestly felt bad for Goldmine, none of his guild was performing well and he would be surprised if they finished above the bottom two. But at least they had qualified out of the sixty guilds. That in and of itself was an achievement.

From his box, Jiemma glared down at his guild's representative and made a hand gesture. The wizard marched into the jungle and pathed straight for the lake.

"He's going for the Duke!" The announcer cried. As the Sabertooth mage put one foot in

the shallow water, the whole stadium shook. And from the center of the lake erupted a true monster. It was a huge purple leviathan with a great maw of ivory teeth, yellow eyes, and a dozen smaller head coming of tentacle-like necks.

The Sabertooth man stood no chance.

"Looks like Sabertooth aren't getting any points today, better luck tomorrow! And next we have Sherry from Lamia Scale!"

Natsu couldn't deny watching Sherry was enjoyable. She manipulated the jungle itself to attack and kill the monsters, and she walked out with a respectable forty-nine.

"Next up, Kraken Maw!" Malcolm lit his cigar and assembled his gun quickly. Both Bisca and Alzack noted that it was no longer an oversized cannon, but now it looked like a huge double barrelled shotgun with a glowing and magical revolver cylinder. A cloud of smoke puffed out of his stogie and up into the air as he marched through the jungle. To everyone's surprise, he ignored every monster camp that had been taken by other guilds, and instead trekked towards the lake.

"It looks like we're going to have a second attempt at the Duke!" Malcolm hit the edge of the water and popped open his shotgun, two shells flying out backwards. He caught one in his hand and tossed it across the water. It made a large splash and quickly disappeared beneath the still surface.

And then the water exploded into a cascade of water and purple scales as the Duke bellowed angrily, shifting its focus on Malcolm.

The Kraken Maw mage smiled and ran along the side of the lake as the huge monster shot a torrent of acidic venom in his direction. Malcolm raised his gun and fire a huge blast that knocked him back far from the acid attack, and the conical detonation got shrapnel all over his prey.

Using the brief window he fired two more explosive rounds into the Duke, each one shrieking through the air until it hit the purple mass. Scales were torn off and the leviathan roared in pain as it dove its massive maw towards Malcolm.

Malcolm grinned and dove out of the way of the initial attack. One of the dozens of smaller heads whipped for him but with a point blank blast he blew it to pieces and began to sprint up the limp neck. The other tendrils roared and attempted to bite him off, but each one was destroyed just as quickly as the first had been. And by that point, Malcolm was on the Duke's back.

He had killed a fair amount of leviathans before, and he was banking on his knowledge of large aquatic anatomy. He fired a drill shot where he figured the cerebral cortex was, and as the round dug its way deeper into the Duke's flesh he fired an explosive shot down the bleeding shaft. And then the round exploded, and so did half the neck of the beast he stood atop. It let out one last muffled cry and fell forwards, collapsing into the jungle.

Malcolm was tossed off the beast and thrown violently into the ground, and with a loud crunch he felt several of his bones break. He wheezed as blood spilled from his mouth, but his lips still cracked into a smile.

"Medics! Get out there! The Duke has fallen! Kraken Maw earns themselves the top spot of today!" A team scrambled in and removed Malcolm from the jungle on a gurney. And then Bisca stepped in.

She had wanted to go for the Duke herself, and was definitely disappointed. But either way she was going to put on a good performance. She requipped to a long barreled automatic shotgun and stalked into the underbrush.  
Blast after blast, everything dissolved before her. Mutant toads were scattered into slippery piles of blood. Wolves were chunks of rotting fur. Predatory birds were clouds of feathers. They all fell before Bisca and her weapons. She pulled her trigger once more and a huge bear collapsed on the ground.

A siren blared from within the jungle, signalling her time was up. Bisca wasn't even sure how many she had killed but it didn't feel like enough.

"Alright, let's recount the scores for today's event! In first place, after defeating the Duke, Kraken Maw takes ten! In second, with sixty-seven, Blue Pegasus! In third, with sixty-six, one behind Jenny, Fairy Tail takes third! Lamia Scale rounds out our fourth spot with forty-nine! Quatro Cerberus in fifth with twenty, and Sabertooth disappoints with zero!"

* * *

"Fairy Tail and Kraken Maw are the only two guilds that haven't dueled yet, which means one of us will fight one of them," Natsu explained to his guild. We know what all five of them do now, so whoever gets picked to go down there, nothing will be a surprise to you. And no matter what, we'll still be top three. So let's do this thing!"

"Today's duel will be between Aaron Troxus of Kraken Maw and Nab Lasaro of Fairy Tail!"

Nab stood up but before he could get out of the box natsu put a hand on his shoulder.

"You got this, we all believe in you." Nab nodded and went down to the stadium. At the other end the gate slid open and Aaron trotted across the dirt. His bald head glinted in the sun and his scarred face contorted into a snarl at Nab. Nab bowed deeply and respectfully.

"Animal Stance, Bear!" Nab shouted as his feet widened and he moved closer to his coore. The aspect of a bear surrounded him and his muscles bulged slightly.

"Takeover! Leviathan soul!" Nab was surrounded by churning blue water as he changed shape. His skin became gray and scaled, dorsal fins formed along his back and his head took the form of a hammerhead shark.

"Ready…. Begin!" Bellowed the announcer. Aaron ran first. His speed was incredible for his size and he threw a massive punch straight for Nab's chest.

The animal mage caught it in one hand, grimacing as pain rocketed through his palm. But Aaron was shocked. Nab quickly rolled his shoulders beneath his opponents extended arm and used the new focal point to toss Aaron over his shoulder. The sea-monster hit the ground with a loud thud but quickly shoulder rolled to his feet. Nab quickly shifted into tiger stance and let out a flurry of quick jabs. Each one hit and caused Aaron to back up slightly, but after a few moments he just laughed and put his palm around Nab's face. With a quick flex of his arm he flung the Fairy Tail wizard across the arena and took on a new form, this time a sleek looking manta ray.

He squatted and like a coiled spring released the tension, using the force to power himself up into the air. At the top of his arch he once again changed, this time into a hard shelled crustacean man. Nab shifted to turtle stance and put his arms up defensively as Aaron spun like a drill in the air, surging downwards with his pincers forward. The impact proved to be too great for Nab, and he was sliced into and tossed backwards. His forearms were bleeding into the dirt as Aaron advanced on him, swinging a massive pincer like a sword.

Using his hawk stance, Nab darted beneath the blow and used a twisting kick to hit Aaron square in the chin. He then ducked away and used his phoenix stance to quickly heal over the wounds he'd received. They heated up and the skin began to reform over the gashes.

Aaron roared and more water engulfed him as black energy swirled in the arena. What came out looked like an eldritch horror. His back was covered in wings and writhing black tentacles. His jaw had become completely unhinged and was brimming with spinning teeth.

With a thunderous beating of his wings he lifted himself in the air. Nab looked up in horror and found himself stunned, unable to break eye contact with the hollow sockets in Aaron's face.

And then he swept downwards and landed on Nab. His fists and tentacles pounded mercilessly, and it was only a few seconds before Nab was unconscious. But Aaron wasn't stopping. Natsu stood up and ran to the side of his box.

"Hey! Stop! He's already done!" Aaron ceased, but did something much worse. His tentacles lifted Nab's prone body over the maw of teeth.

"YOU WILL STOP!" Came a huge voice. Ne'e stood atop the railing of her box, the tattoos covering her body glowing with green energy. Her eyes glowed a powerful yellow. In the blink of an eye Aaron fell out of his form, unconscious as well.

The entire audience went quiet. But then Ne'e puffed up her chest and spoke once more.

"Give the victory to Fairy Tail! I had forbidden my contestant from using the form he took, but he took it anyway. He will be duly punished, and I find that we are undeserving of the win as such."

There was another brief pause as the announcer confided with the judges, but it only took a moment for him to regain his composure.

"You heard her, folks! Fairy Tail wins, keeping all six of their points! Kraken Maw retains five of their initial ten! This means Fairy Tail ends the day keeping their first place spot!" The crowd cheered, now distracted, and several medical personnel took to the field to grab Nab and Aaron. "Kraken Maw still sit second, and three points behind them is Lamia Scale! Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus are tied for fourth with ten points each, and Quatro Cerberus had been knocked down to last place. We'll see all of you tomorrow!"

 _A/N: I'm aware that Jenny is very ooc based on what we saw in the manga/ anime, but her magic is so fucking cool theoretically and I wanted to play around with it. So expect Jenny to be likes this for the rest of the story._


	13. Chapter 13- A Shift in Emotions

**Chapter 13- A Shift in Emotions**

Natsu sat beside Nab's hospital bed and sighed. He was still asleep. His body was covered in bruises and lacerations, and there was even more damage internally. Natsu sighed and looked from the window out to the coliseum that floated in the distance. There was a race trial happening at the moment, but he didn't know who was winning. He'd turned off the broadcast lacrima for some peace and quiet.

"I don't apologize, but today I will," came a voice from the doorway. It was Ne'e. Natsu stood up and moved from beside Nab's bed to the waiting room, gesturing for Ne'e to follow.

"Your mage's motion was strong. If my follower had beaten him like that without his dark transformation, I would deem it fair. But what Aaron did was a vile perversion…"

"What was that, anyway?" Natsu inquired. Ne'e looked over towards a water basin and sprinkled some powder into it. The water contorted and formed into an image.

"The most ancient place on the planet is the ocean. The land crawls and slides, slips and rises. But the water ebbs and flows with constant power. It changes, but all the while stays the same. And before there was humanity, there was only one thing. Motion. And my deity, it understood this. From that motion came more forces; desire and ambition. And those early forces formed into creatures embodying these…"

Natsu looked into the basin and saw terrifying creatures the size of mountains roaming around the ancient and dark ocean.

"Then, from the sky, came another kind of being. One I'm sure you're well acquainted with."

"Dragons," Natsu breathed. Ne'e nodded.

"And dragons had much motion. And their ambition was to rule the world. And they did. Few of the early creatures survived their conquest. They stopped moving, and thus became dead to my god. So when they surface my deity's followers are called to destroy them. And that I did. But unfortunately, Aaron absorbed a small fraction of it's soul. I forbade him to use it, but he did. He couldn't control it. He is a master of controlling leviathan souls, but this… Is too much demon and not enough leviathan."

The swirling imagery ceased and Natsu glanced up. He didn't know how much of this was real and how much was a weird parlor trick.

"Why aren't you watching your guild?" Natsu asked suddenly. He knew he was being strange for being absent, but he couldn't decide why Ne'e wasn't there.

"Ah, I came to see you. Not only to offer my apologies, but to challenge you. Once these events are over, I wish to give you the test."

"And what's the test?"

"I think in your words you would call it a duel. But with higher stakes. I must go on, sitting in one place for too long waries me."

She pivoted on her heel and strutted out of the infirmary as soon as she'd entered it. Natsu sighed and sat at one of the benches, flicking the broadcaster back on. Lyon was thrashing one of the Sabertooth wizards. He watched inattentively as his mind wandered several other places.

And the chiefest of those distractions was a certain blonde. Natsu had been in a weird spot in that regard for the last couple of days. He knew that everyone in Fairy tail thought he oblivious and a prude, but in reality he was still a seventeen year old boy. He saw women. They weren't forefront in his mind but he understood them and how certain ones made him feel.

He heard the battle come to an end and the final scores for the day were read out. Kraken Maw had passed Fairy Tail and taken first place by one point, twenty-seven to twenty-six. And Lamia Scale had tied with Fairy Tail for second. The games were getting very close.

The broadcast ended and Natsu vegetated on the bench for awhile longer, the time flying by without him really noticing it. The infirmary door swung open again and Lia entered with Bisca and Alzack.

"Hey, Natsu, how's Nab?" Bisca asked as she sat down beside him. He let out a deep sigh and leaned back against the hard wall.

"Still not awake yet. His breathing is steady, which is a good sign. How'd the event go?"

"Awful," Lia chimed in. "It was a race through and obstacle course, and in the crucial moments I got knocked off my metal board."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. We're still top three, and sure as hell close enough to get back to first. I'm sure you did great out there." He was still in autopilot but the sincerity was present in his voice. Alzack and Bisca both noticed the slight feel of disconnect present within Natsu.

"Hey, anything on your mind?" Alzack asked. Their guild master didn't respond initially, he still sat in contemplative silence. But he did snap out of it.

"Oh. Um, sorta, but it's just some personal issues. Nothing worrisome, I promise." He then got to his feet and smiled at his guild members.

"I'm gonna head back to the inn, go ahead and visit Nab if you want to." As he went to the door Lia followed.

"I'm tired, so I think I'll head back with Natsu." Bisca smiled wide to which Lia responded by making a shushing motion.

"Alright, let's head out then," Natsu said. And the two of them crossed through the doorway into Crocus. It was a lovely day as usual. Sunny, but not overbearingly hot. It was comfortable. There was a light breeze but it wasn't disruptive, and the streets clambered with people returning to their regular business after spectating the games.

"I'm sure you did great out there today," Natsu told Lia as they walked. "I didn't really see the main event cuz I was in with Nab, but I know you're probably being too hard on yourself…"

"Natsu!" Jenny bounded across the street happily. Lia's face broke into a scowl as Natsu brightened up instantly.

"Hey, Jenny!" He quickly turned to Lia. "I'm actually going to be out for awhile longer, I'll see you at the inn later," and with that he and Jenny went off on their own. Lia clenched her fists as anger boiled in her body. She wanted to beat Jenny so bad, but knew that since Jenny had already fought Minerva that she wouldn't have the opportunity to duel her. At least in a tournament sanctioned fashion…

Jenny put her arm through Natsu's and leaned in closer to him. It was a gesture he found comforting, so he let it slide. His heightened sense of smell picked up the subtle scents of foreign flowers. He noticed a lot of little things as they walked and made small talk. The way her long hair was done up, but dishevelled. It was a pleasant mixture. Her eyes shone when he looked into them. She had a wonderful smile. The kinds of things he'd only ever noticed in one other girl.

And of course, when she crossed his mind he suddenly felt at odds. And the eternal question tugged at him. Should he wait? Was it worth it?

"Do you wanna grab a bite to eat?" Jenny asked. Natsu voiced his affirmation and Jenny led him to a high up and very fancy looking dining outlet.

But she didn't mind him eating a bit brutishly. She only ever smiled and leaned on her hand, a little gesture she did that Natsu found extremely cute. He felt at ease around her. They finished their meal and strode out. This time Natsu made a slight move. He moved his hand to his side and snaked his fingers into hers. Jenny smiled and a spot of color entered her cheeks.

The sun was going down and they made their way to the top of the city's wall. As it sank beneath the horizon the world froze for a second.

It was twilight. Where two worlds exist simultaneously. And it was in that second that Natsu knew what choice he wanted to make.

"Jenny, I really like you. I'm kind of dumb, and I'll always be busy running a guild, but I…" And then he was interrupted as Jenny pulled his face in for a kiss. They stood in the twilight, the sky decaying from its pink and orange hues to its regal purples and blues.

They stayed there for what felt like an eternity. But finally Jenny pulled away slowly.

"I'm willing to work with that. Because I really like you too, and I would love to try something." She told him. And then they both leaned in and kissed again, but it was shorter this time.

"Now, it's getting late. Walk me home?" Jenny asked. Natsu smiled.

"Of course."

 **The Next Day**

The entirety of Fairy Tail eyed the scoreboard in horror and sorrow. They had been bumped down to third place, right behind Kraken Maw, who trailed several points behind Lamia Scale. They had started the tournament so strong, but in today's event Jura had finally been unleashed and nobody could stop him.

Natsu didn't even care as Ichiya was being handedly destroyed by Sarah down in the center. He was just worried about his guild's morale. They still had one final day, and the point value wasn't that far. Fairy Tail would have to take first tomorrow, and Lamia Scale and Kraken Maw would have to finish lower than they normally averaged.

Macao and Wakaba were glaring down eyeing Sarah as she strutted around and bullet after bullet hit Ichiya.

"She's hot as fuck!" Macao proclaimed. Natsu turned his eyes down and couldn't disagree. Her long red hair whipped as her guns fired, and her white button up did cling tightly to her bust. But the salamander didn't care too much. He moved his focus to the box several down, and locked eyes with Jenny. A smile spread across his face and he went back to watching the fight.

Bisca noticed worriedly that Lia was absolutely fuming. The gun mage figured it might be prudent to have a little talk with her teammate about jealousy, but that would have to happen tonight in the privacy of their room.

The siren blared as Sarah's guns steamed and Ichiya laid on the battlefield decimated.

* * *

"You're a cultist whore!" Jiemma bellowed. Him and his entourage had encountered Ne'e and her members of Kraken Maw in one of Crocus' great squares, where Natsu and Jenny happened to be.

"Cult, we are not. You're motion is stale, like a decaying pond. You aren't even strong enough to be a lake," Ne'e taunted. Jiemma tensed up and took a step forward. Ne'e held her guild back and grinned at the man before her. "I will only warn you one time, I do not wish to quarrel with you. However, if you wish to test your mettle, I will crush you like the insect you are." Jiemma scowled and began to glow with energy.

"Nobody insults me in front of my guild!" Ne'e cackled and tossed her wizard saint jacket off.

"Your threats are as empty as your soul!" Jiemma roared and pointed his hand at her. All around her the air crackled then instantly exploded. The Sabertooth wizards cheered, but the members of Kraken Maw crossed their arms and acted casually.

When the smoke had cleared Ne'e stood in place, her tattoos and eyes glowing.

"Now we begin the test of souls…" She extended one hand forward as well, but suddenly a huge and ethereal tentacle shot forward and reached into Jiemma's very soul. His eyes widened as he watched himself ripped from his body. All the onlookers watched in shock as Jiemma's soul stopped between the two guild masters.

Ne'e grinned once more and moved her hands like a conductor of some vile band, and more ethereal tentacles reached up from the ground and began to pulverize the sitting soul. Each impact caused a wave of pain in Jiemma's body, but after a few seconds his corporeal being shot back inside his physical body. He fell to his knees abruptly, the wounds he'd accrued suddenly doubling in force.

Ne'e stopped glowing and put her jacket back on.

"Let me tell you. You are a weakling. Your soul was brittle, as are you. Do not trifle with me. Let that be a lesson to you, and to all who have witnessed this!" Ne'e flung her arms out victoriously. "My motion is unstoppable!" And with that Kraken Maw marched out of the square.

And Natsu knew that his desire to fight Ne'e had skyrocketed. And that was coupled with his already increasing urge to fight anyone.

"Wait!" Natsu called. Ne'e stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder. Natsu stepped away from Jenny and into the center of the plaza. "Fight me!"

Ne'e began to laugh in a deep and booming voice.

"Sweet child, _you_ wish to undergo the test of souls, right here and now?" Natsu began to flare with heat as his excitement built.

"Hell yeah, you've gotten me all fired up!" Ne'e nodded to the rest of her guild, who gathered in a large circle at the edges of the quare. The rest of the spectators followers uit, leaving an enormous and open area for the two to fight uninhibited.

"Very well. You show much more promise than my last opponent. I have high hopes for you, son of Igneel." She threw her jacket in a crumpled ball to Malcolm and began to glow once more. "Come."

Natsu leapt forward with a huge leap and dove under the tentacle that shot from her palm. She frowned and twisted her waist, narrowly avoiding a flaming punch from the dragon slayer. She threw a flat palm at his abdomen while he was beside her but Natsu used his momentum to spin into a flaming kick that connected with her chest.

She slid back along the stone but kept her footing, and dunked her fist into the ground. Ethereal tentacles began to form around Natsu, and the loomed up into the air before smacking down. He jumped between several impacts long enough to let out a roar of the flame dragon that spiraled at Ne'e. She crossed her arms and a wall of the tentacles shielded her from the blast. She winced at the force it required to block such a powerful attack, but recovered in seconds and bolted. Natsu mirrored her action but had to roll out of the way of another huge tentacle.

But by the time he'd gotten back to his feet Ne'e was over him. She tackled him to the ground and pinning her knees against his elbows she began to dig into him with punch after punch, each blow amplified by her magic.

"Roar of the flaming lightning dragon!" Natsu yelled. The move caught Ne'e completely off guard and surrounded her in brilliant light. Natsu knew he'd have to go into overdrive to beat her, and the extra power had thrown her off of him. The two stood up across from each other and smiled. This fight was a challenge.

Natsu's fist crackled with the two elements and his feet were ablaze. He rushed forward, lifted into the air by the flames behind him and he breezed over the tentacles that reached for him hopelessly, and he descended with a huge fist of the thunder flame dragon.

Ne'e was hit directly in the temple and was blow completely back, rolling across the ground several times before coming to a stop near the fountain at the center of the plaza.

People had gathered en masse and now viewers were even standing on rooftops to watch the fight. Natsu looked at her prone body and assumed it was over, but Ne'e began to laugh.

She held out one palm, and Natsu saw that it was tethered to his soul, which sat between the two. Memories flashed before his eyes unbidden, and he tried to summon up another attack, but found he couldn't.

Huge tentacles reached out of the ground and collapsed upon his bare soul. Natsu felt each blow as if he was being hit by the most powerful attack in the world, and it took only four hits before he fell to the ground crying out. His soul rushed back into him and it tripled.

Ne'e stood up, most of her wounds having been healed by the attack.

"I suppose this is it, Dragneel. You lasted for a moment, though. And in the grand scheme of things, a moment is all we are, no?"

"No," Natsu huffed. He got to his feet shakily and he glowed with golden power. Ne'e grinned and applauded him.

"Back again, and without even consuming flame?" She noticed the light around him formed into an ethereal armor of scales and horns. She had never seen this before, but the glow was aurora like. It seemed far more ancient than most magic she had ever encountered.

Natsu smiled as his dragon force was activated. The knowledge he'd acquired through torvald was Dragon Arc magic, and he had gained the ability to enter the state without external stimulus.

"We're so much more than a moment," Natsu sated as he trudged towards her. She huffed and flung another tentacle for his soul, but as it entered his chest she found it wouldn't budge out of him. She pushed her other hand up and flung another tentacle out.

"She's using two! She only ever uses two against the deep terrors!" Malcolm told Bisca. It entered Natsu and this time she was able to pull his soul out. But Natsu continued to advance, slowly closing the gap between the two guild masters. She scowled and her tentacles pulverized the non-material dragon slayer, and each blow made Natsu wince. But he didn't stop. The soul retracted into Natsu but hardly any damage was sustained.

Ne'e growled and preemptively struck. She swung her huge fist at Natsu, but he caught it in one powerful hand. Her eyes widened as he spun her arm, causing her to fall to the ground in pain. He hit her with a right cross, then a left cross, then another right and another left. Each blow left behind a fiery impact mark, and after ten strikes they formed a circular mark in the air.

"Crimson lotus of the fiery thunder dragon!" And they all detonated. Everyone could audibly hear Ne'e's cry of pain from the center of the attack , and Natsu slowly fell out of his dragon force. As the kicked up dust cleared Ne'e was on her knees, panting. Natsu reignited his fsts, ready to deliver a finisng blow. But his opponent began to laugh again.

"You have many tricks up your sleeve. But I do as well." The water from the fountain floated out and streamed towards Ne'e's mouth, who consumed it thirstily. As she did so her wounds and burns healed and her energy replenished itself.

"Wait… you're…" Ne'e stood up and sprinted forward with ferocity and power.

"Dark fist of the Abyss God!" And swelling with black water Ne'e hit Natsu in his core. He flew into the air where a tentacle caught him, and he was tossed violently back against the ground.

He looked up at her and the dragon force began to reactivate, but out of the blue Ne'e dropped out of her magical form and held out her hand to him.

"I fear if we continue fighting neither of us would win. I did not duel you, Master Dragneel, I administered the test of spirit, of which you lost, then were strong enough to retake seconds later and pass. You have a strength that I have never before seen, and you will certainly accomplish great things."

Natsu took her hand as she helped him to his feet.

"I can see the disappointment in your eyes. Do not worry. We can fight a true duel at a later time, and in a more fair environment." She motioned to the fountain. "Now, the curfew is fast approaching. I must return my contestants to their rooms. Tomorrow, Kraken Maw will win the Games." And then she left, leaving Natsu and a huge crowd of very impressed spectators.


	14. Chapter 14- The Grand Finale

**Chapter 14- The Grand Finale**

Alzack's pistol steamed as the Cerberus mage collapsed and the bell dinged. He had won. But interestingly enough, today the duel had taken place before the challenge.

Nobody knew for sure what today's event was, but it was the final day of competition for the Grand Magic Games, and in Alzack's mind that meant that today was going to be different.

He marched his way back up to Fairy Tail's box where he was quickly congratulated. He embraced Bisca and the two shared a quick kiss before their guildmaster approached them.

"Great job out there, Alzack. We don't have to worry about losing half our points in the next challenge. So as long as we get first, and Lamia Scale and Kraken Maw get below second, we have a great shot at winning!"

Fairy Tail cheered and put up their hand signs as the loudspeaker cracker.

"Alright everyone, today is it! It's the last day of the games! So of course we have to go out with a bang! And not just any bang, a big and super exciting one! It's my pleasure to announce our final event is the Battle Royale! The battlefield will be the entire city of Crocus, and each guild can split their members however the see fit. One of the five will be the leader. If two wizards encounter each other in the streets they must fight until one is incapacitated, and the winner gets one point. If a leader is defeated the winner gets five points. This means that if one guild defeated everyone they could obtain forty-five points, so anyone can win! Even Quatro Cerberus! You'll have fifteen minutes to prepare, starting now!"

* * *

Diana swung her crescent blade in a line in front of her, smashing the icey eagles as they flew. She flung a huge blast of water towards Lyon but he froze it mid air before it did any damage. She grimaced and bolted forward, trying desperately to do some vague likeness of damage to the wizard who's magic countered her's so strongly.

A huge twisting ice serpent smacked into her midriff and she was flung hard into the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of her. It was then that Lyon began again with another volley of ice eagles and seconds later a bell dinged in the air. He looked up in the sky where a point was marked up for Lamia Scale. Lyon grinned contentedly and continued down the street.

The mages of Quatro Cerberus had decided that it was prudent for them to travel as a unified group. Unfortunately Bacchus had left them, saying something about them being too weak. They rounded a corner and confronted the one individual they wanted to see the least.

"Hello boys," said Jura with a bow.

Up in the air four points were added to Lamia Scale's existing one, which put them five above everyone else. Bisca couldn't help feeling discouraged seeing this.

"We have to get more points, so let's split up! I'll go to the same belltower as the qualifiers and direct us all," the sniper advised. Her guild agreed and she grappled her way up. They all went off in separate directions, looking for prey. Nab trudged through the streets slowly, his tiger senses trying to find another wizards' scent in the air. The odorous smell of alcohol invaded his senses, and turning around he saw that on the other side of the alley was the Quatro Cerberus mage himself.

"Let's dance, bear boy," he taunted before swigging his drink. He sprang forward and kicked himself against the wall, slamming his palm like a train into Nab. Nab spun and landed in a crate of refuse forcefully. He switched to turtle stance and raised his arms trying to stop Bacchus' non-stop palm strikes.

He then bucked up and kicked his feet into the drunk man's chest, giving himself a moment of respite. Nab used this window to switch to hawk stance, and his newly acquired advantage in speed allowed him to duck under Bacchus' savage attacks with ease. He quickly changed to bear and hit the Cerberus with a furious uppercut. Bacchus soared across the alley and hit a barrel.

But it wasn't over for Bacchus. He drained his gourd and swayed erratically at Nab. The Fairy Tail wizard tried to swing another cross but Bacchus ducked beneath it, hitting Nab's elbow with his palm. He then surgically placed a line of palm hits around Nab's pressure points, dropping the bear to his knees.

"Sorry buddy," and then Bacchus ended with a concussive strike to Nab's head. Nab hit the ground, but it wasn't over. He smacked his palms into the ground and in the same motion as a push-up propelled himself up. He swept his leg in a circular motion and knocked Bacchus off his feet. Nab gripped his opponents bun and pulled him up to fist level, where he punched so powerfully Bacchus was flung straight out of the alley and into the street.

Nab came out of the alley imposingly, but the Cerberus mage only cackled. Nab sprinted forward and reached for a huge punch, but Bacchus slid under it and pushed his palm up against Nab's chin. The impact shook the defender's whole skull and Nab was down.

A point was added to Quatro Cerberus' counter in the sky. In his box Natsu ran his hands through his hair and felt more air leave his lungs. It looked close at first. But it would be harder than he had thought.

Meanwhile, up in her belltower perch, Bisca tried to find where Nab had gone down through her scope. As the crosshairs zoomed around the cityscape she saw a pack of five mages moving together. It was Sabertooth. And in the center was Minerva.

Bisca knew that Minerva would be a problem for anyone, so taking her out now was a must. She aimed up, gave some room for lead-time, and squeezed the trigger.

Minerva heard a gunshot and instantly switched places with another one of Sabertooth's members. He went down hard and she heard another shot ring out. Another Sabertooth down. She looked about frantically trying to triangulate the source when the third shot rang out. Another one down. It was just Minerva and one other, but in seconds she had to switch places with him too. And then she spotted it. The glint in the belltower,

She waved her hand and Bisca suddenly fell to the ground right in front of her. The two locked and eyes and sat very still for a brief moment.

A ways away Alzack heard his partner's comms go silent and in a panic he bolted for the belltower. He pumped his legs as hard as he could and surged with adrenaline, his sole concentration on getting to Bisca. But something hit him hard in the leg and his momentum stopped. He flew forward, off balance, and tumbled into the stone.

"Oh, it's you!" Alzack recognized the voice. He put a hand on his revolver but didn't get to his feet just yet.

"I've got someplace to be, Sarah," he said strongly. She began to laugh and that's when Alzack struck. He spun his whole torso around as he leveraged himself to his feet, giving him an angle to blast the red-head with a stun shot. She seemed to predict this and dove to the ground behind a wall of crates. Wood flew into the air as Alzack ran for the nearest cover, a large concrete slab.

Sarah jumped up and fired to ricochet shots that bounced from a street lamp and a wall into Alzack's direction.

He put his speed into a powerslide and scraped his way behind the barrier, narrowly avoiding the bullets. He then stood up suddenly and cranked the hammer of his gun with his palm, shooting a line of HE rounds towards Sarah's cover. But she wasn't behind it anymore. The ex-heister fired shots into the air that fragmented over Alzack, peppering him with small lacerations. He cried out but fired into her nonetheless, smacking her directly in the chest with an icy bullet.

She was no longer able to move her arms, and Alzack charged. He advanced, still hammering round after round of generic shots into her, the ice shattered and she collapsed, defeated.

Alzack huffed and looked back towards the belltower. He just hoped he wouldn't be too late…

Natsu watched the Sabertooth score count rise by one, and moments later the Fairy Tail counter followed suit. He clenched his fists in front of him and bit his lip nervously. It was up to those three.

Back down bellow amid the hectic chaos of the Battle Royale, Lia trudged angrily. She hadn't seen a single goddam human in almost an hour and Fairy Tail was definitely not in the lead. And she wanted Fairy Tail to win, to make Natsu proud.

And then it happened. It seemed luck was with Lia today. Across from her, popping out of an alleyway, was none other than Jenny herself.

Lia slowed her breathing and raised her hands, the blades of steel pulsing with power as they flew from the crevices in her armor out around her in a circle. When Jenny noticed Lia it was too late. The smaller blonde girl flung the blades and they sliced through the air elegantly at Jenny.

The Pegasus used her magic to form a defensive form as quickly as possible, but the blades all penetrated. Lia dashed forward and mounted a flat board of her blades. When the gap had been closed she swirled off and more metal surrounder her, forming a drill middair that spun and hit Jenny.

Lia grinned as she hopped back, seeing the damage she had done. But it seemed for naught. Jenny changed her soul to her basic battle stance unscathed, and charged. She swung wildly but Lia dodged beneath them and slid like a serpent, each of her motions elegant and poised.

She flung several blades into Jenny's abdomen, who recoiled in pain. Lia advanced, swiping her hands and commanding even more jagged pieces of metal to pierce Jenny. And then out of the blue the older blonde looked up and smiled. The chains along the sides of Jenny and the bolts came undone, and the machine beneath glowed. Lia's eyes widened as she was engulfed in a ray of energy.

One point for Blue Pegasus. But then another was added to Fairy Tail. Across the city Aaron toppled as Kinana breathed heavily. The black eyelid slid back and Kinana returned to her normal form, the purple of her arms fading. It had been an exhausting fight but she had won it. Though it wouldn't be the end of the action. Bacchus sauntered up from behind her and took a swig from his gourd. He had watched the whole fight patiently and was surprised by the outcome, but regardless he figured Kinana was lacking energy enough to beat without really trying.

Which was a fatal misconception. She lashed out with brutality and speed, her venomous hands scalding his bare chest as she laid into him with powerful slashes. He howled in pain and tried to scramble away, but she gripped his ankles and pulled him down. And afterwards it only took a few moments before her venom worked its way into his system and he was done for.

Five points for Fairy Tail. Natsu smiled. They were still in it, though Lamia Scale had gotten four more. Jura made things far too unfair down there.

And speaking of down there, Alzack was now squaring off against too familiar adversaries.

"We know you did a number on Sarah," Fox called from behind a barrel. "But there are two of us, and we're a fuckton stronger than she is! No offense to her!"

"Yeah! So how about ya just yield ta us right here and now, and we can make all o' this shit easy?" But instead of a verbal response Malcolm felt wood chips fall along his head as Alzack sprayed the window again. Malcolm looked across the street to Fox, and nodded.

Alzack had retreated to a house after they'd pursued him a fair distance, but this was it for the gunslinger. Malcolm popped a spinning grenade from out of his shotgun and lobbed it through the shattered window. It hit the ground inside with a thunk and started to spew smoke.

Fox spun his playing cards and formed a blue circle that he jumped into. He landed inside the house and was able to easily toss a gold card at Alzack, who was suddenly encased in shiny yellow chains.

Malcolm reached over the window and fired a scatter shot at Alzack which pummeled the Fairy Tail wizard into defeat. Another point for Kraken Maw.

The victory was short lived, however. A flying blonde in power armor strafed the house with laser fire, peppering Malcolm and flushing Fox out of hiding. Malcolm hit the ground hard, knocked completely out, but Fox tried to run for it. He jumped through a portal that spit him out onto the roof of a nearby house.

Jenny let a missile salvo out of her shoulder pads and they spun towards the retreating gambler. He looked behind him and screamed, jumping into another portal. But the attack followed him through and connected in the belltower where he jumped to. Jenny watched from afar as the detonations occurred and two points were added to Blue Pegasus. She laughed and flew off in pursuit of more victims.

Lamia Scale jumped by five as Jura stood over Minerva, bowing respectfully. Sabertooth had joined Quatro Cerberus in being completely eliminated. Jura turned and walked slowly and casually down the main road of Crocus. He knew all four of Lyon's group were still travelling together, and he had confidence that they could defeat anyone else in the contest with the exception of maybe Jenny. He looked up and appreciated the light blue sky and the soft clouds. Today was a marvelous day.

His idle relaxation ceased at once when he heard footsteps from behind him. He spun and saw maybe a quarter of a mile off, the venom wizard from Fairy Tail was running in his direction. Jura sighed and bowed. He would beat her quickly. He flicked his hands and brought them together, and two huge columns of stone flew from two houses and smashed her between them.

A point was added to Lamia Scale and Jura continued his stroll peacefully. He looked up in the sky and suddenly four more points were added to Blue Pegasus. Jura's eyes widened as he realized the implications of that.

The only group of four was Lyon, so someone strong just took them out. And that meant Jenny was on the hunt.

And she had found him sooner than he expected. A huge orb of churning energy engulfed him and exploded.

Jenny sat in the air and watched as the whole block was leveled. But as she expected, he sat in the crater mostly undamaged. A column flew towards her but she breezed by it with ease, her thrusters giving her extreme evasion. She stuck her arms together and they formed one bigger looking gun. It glowed with purple power and Jura summoned up a dome of earth around himself.

"Nice try," Jenny breathed as the lance soared out of her arms and cut right through the shield. It his jura and sent him back several blocks worth of distance before it dissipated, and jenny flew lower and closer. Jura desperately tossed a wall of earth that grew into the air as it ripped across the ground. Jenny dodged to the side and stopped her thrusters, instead running along the flat side of the wall towards Jura. He grinned and the wall suddenly wrapped itself up, encasing Jenny in a tomb of stone.

The stone glowed with heat and exploded, sending rocks and debris in all directions as she rose out of it a new form. It looked sleek yet angelic, glowing with gemstones and gold.

"Takeover! Machina soul! Divine Form: Christina!" Jura was impressed but sweat dropped nonetheless. It seemed the magical bomber contained a very powerful soul. Jenny put her hands forward and they started to glow.

Jura figured this was it. It didn't matter to him, Lamia Scale would still take first. He closed his eyes and waited for the final blow to land. But it didn't. He waited a second longer, then opened his eyes.

In front of him Jenny hit the ground hard, in her normal form. The siren blared and five points were given to Lamia Scale. Jura cracked into a grin as the announcer came over the speaker.

"And there you have it folks! The last man standing is Lamia Scale's very own Jura Neekis! And with that, the Grand Magic Games have concluded! In last place, with a disappointing five points, Quatro Cerberus! In fifth, not much better, Sabertooth with fifteen! Our fourth place team jumped a whole lot of points today, Blue Pegasus with twenty-seven points! And now on to our top three. We've all known all tournament that these three guilds would be here, but maybe no in this order! In third, with thirty-six, Kraken Maw! Coming up in second with forty-three, Magnolia's own Fairy Tail! And finally, the grand winner, you already know! Lamia Scale with a whopping sixty points! Congratulations to everyone! The fun isn't over yet though! All qualifying guilds are invited to a banquet and party tomorrow night to commemorate the christening of this great tournament! For all you viewers out there, we'll be back next year! Thank you, and good night!"

And that was it. The first ever Grand Magic Games had ended. And a lot of young mages had suddenly taken interest in Fairy Tail. As did several more sinister forces. But for the time being, the only thing on anyone's mind was festivities.


	15. Chapter 15- Feasts and Farewells

**Chapter 15- Feasts and Farewells**

The palace was on a whole other level of elegance. The grand crystal chandeliers hung high overheard providing a bright and blue tinged light to the whole dance floor. The railings that led up to the different floors and balconies were a shiny gold and everywhere streamers of crystal hung and glinted. All along the marble tile floor were white tables covered in hor'dourves and other light foods, but upstairs there was a feast table with more lavish foods. Everywhere nobility and guardsmen held glasses of foreign wines, dressed in neatly pressed suits and uniforms. A quartet played a slow and ambient tune on the mainstage, filling the huge echoing chamber with the soft melody of strings. But by far the most fascinating thing in the room was the gathering of wizards.

It was a time when they could all be calm and simply enjoy themselves. All besides Sabertooth, who had declined attending on the grounds that they had done poorly. But Quatro Cerberus didn't seem to mind. Bacchus downed bottles of sipping scotch in huge gulps like there would be no tomorrow. Goldmine conversed with Bob and several older gentlemen. The other no-names were out having a good time as well.

Fox was at a table playing bridge with a group of big wig high hat types, presumably gipping them of their money. Malcolm sat by Bacchus and enjoyed an island cigar, the highest quality smoke in the land. Aaron and Diana sat at the dining table flushed and embarrassed. Embarrassed of course by their master, who was as usual going to town on a roast. Her Wizard Saint Jacket was thrown haphazardly over the back of her chair which spared it from the small splashes of gravy that otherwise flew about.

Ichiya and the Trimens were posing and attempting to dance down in the center, and the action attracted some of the royal females but for the most part they just made fools of themselves. Lamia Scale sat at a separate dining table and enjoyed each other's company, eating and laughing and making merry.

And then of course there was Fairy Tail. Macao and Wakaba prowled through the gatherings of people trying to find women to flirt with. Shadow Gear sat and ate, while Kinana and Nab were conversing pleasantly further away. Bisca and Alzack stood in their evening wear, interestingly enough the same clothes they had worn during their time at the House of the Rising Sun. And someone noticed.

"Well, hottie, that's a familiar look... " The red-head from Kraken Maw cooed as she approached the two in a glittering purple dress that clung tightly. She wore white arm gloves and held a crystal goblet of red wine in one hand. With the other she flicked her hair back and gave more visibility of her upper torso. Specifically her cleavage and pearl necklace.

Alzack chuckled and gave Bisca a kiss on the cheek as she smirked.

"I remember the last time I wore this you had significantly less to wear," Alzack joked. Sarah laughed and took a sip of her drink.

"Well, I was definitely surprised by how quick you took me down in the Battle Royale. Bisca, I know you were already out for the count but your man is a tough one."

"Oh, I know," Bisca said lightheartedly. There wasn't any bitterness or discomfort between the three.

"Well, I'd like a rematch without any of the added circumstances someday. And I'm sure Malcolm and Fox would too. Swing by Kraken Maw sometime. You two really are lovely and I'd like to keep in touch."

Alzack and Bisca both smiled genuinely. Sarah waved lightly and made her way back across the dancefloor to another group of Kraken Maw mages.

"God she has a fantastic body," Bisca sighed with a nod. She lifted her glass of white wine and took a quick sip.

"That doesn't matter. You've got the best body on the planet." Bisca smiled up at Alzack with _that_ look in her eyes. Alzack went flush and his lip quivered.

"Five minutes. Bathroom. You know the drill." Alzack nodded, unable to form words. Bisca set her glass down and started her walk up the stairs.

As was typical, Lia shook her head with a chortle. Those two were something else. She moved her eyes from Alzack, who was unable to sit still, to a different pair. Natsu and Jenny sat across from each other at a small circular table and were just conversing. Lia bit her lip and looked down into sake. Jenny had destroyed her in the fight, so maybe it was best to just let go. She couldn't do anything. And besides, she wanted her guild master to be happy. A small crack formed on the sides of her lips. Tonight wasn't the night to be brooding. She looked at the Trimens and honed in on the tall one with brown hair.

Being nice hadn't suited her, so maybe reverting to old Lia was a better plan. She gulped down the sake and marched forward.

"Anyway, I was hoping to hold a new S-class exam a few weeks after we get back to Magnolia. I don't currently have any S-class mages in the guild though, so I was wondering if maybe you would come and help out for a day or two?" Natsu asked across the table. Jenny smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I'd love to! I don't really go out on missions anymore, and I can postpone some photoshoots I have planned." Jenny wore a very elegant dress coated in gems and precious metals that complemented its aquamarine color. Natsu was impressed, as always, but he didn't fawn.

"Great! I think I'm gonna ask a few more people too. I think I'll do that while it's fresh on my mind, actually. I'll be back in a second." Natsu stood up and ascended the stairs to where Lamia Scale was sitting.

"Hey, everyone!" Ooba and Jura waved Natsu over and he took a seat with them.

"Hey, Natsu! How's the evening with lovely Ms. Realight going?" Jura asked respectfully. Natsu laughed off the question, which in and of itself was the only answer the Wizard Saint needed.

"Oi, Natsu! I'm strong as hell but I'm going to keep training! That way, when Gray gets back, he'll have to work for years before he can beat me!" Lyon declared. Natsu saw the color in his cheeks and the distance in his eyes and guessed that the ice mage was a tad drunk.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Natsu was honestly just glad that there were others who shared the same hope he did. It was comforting. "Oh! I almost forgot why I was here! Jura, I was wondering if you had the time to come to Magnolia for a few days and help me proctor an S class exam? I don't currently have any wizards of the correct rank in the guild…"

"Natsu, it would be my pleasure," Jura assured. Natsu grinned and shook his large hand. "But you still owe me a rematch after the Wizard Saint debacle!" Natsu tossed his head back and laughed.

"I had to save Magnolia from dark wizards, you aren't gonna cut me any slack?" Jura chuckled deep in his throat and his shoulders shook.

"Of course not, you defeated me!" The whole table joined in with the raucous laughter. Laughter and smiles. Those were the two constant truths of the night.

"Well, congratulations on first place. You guys are something else," Natsu said as he got up. He shook hands with the members he knew and waved as he went back down the stairs. The music had switched and was now more upbeat, and bodies were on the floor dancing.

Natsu figured he'd make time for that in a bit, but for the time being he strode up the bar and took a seat beside Bacchus.

"Hey, you had a great tournament. You definitely carried your team, so maybe next year?" Bacchus laughed at what Natsu had said and shook his head.

"Maybe. But thank you, I appreciate the praise. What brings you over here?" Natsu explained to him his S-class exam and need for S-class wizards. Bacchus agreed as long Natsu would buy him a lot of liquor afterwards. The two made a bit of small talk and after a few minutes Natsu went back around.

"Dragneel!" Someone called. The salamander turned around and saw that King Toma and his daughter were approaching. Natsu bowed, but as he did so Toma simply rolled his eyes.

"No need to bow to me, today is your day. All of you," he gestured to every wizard in attendance.

"Fairy Tail did amazing, you were all so fun to watch!" Hisui exclaimed. Natsu chuckled and squatted to be at eye level with her.

"Thanks, my lady. Are you interested in magic?"

"Of course! I actually know a little bit, but I love reading about celestial spirit magic! Wasn't the girl Lucy in your guild?"

"She sure was, when she comes back I'll be sure to introduce you two." Her passion reminded Natsu of Romeo or Wendy. He could sense she would be important someday.

"Thank you, Master Dragneel. I'd like to thank you once more for attending, and congratulate you for your second place finish."

The king held out his hand and Natsu took it in his own. The two smiled at each other and parted ways. But as soon as the window was open another old man approached.

"Good evening, Master Org," Natsu greeted politely. Org waved his hand and took a swig from his grey mug.

"And a good evening to you, too. I was impressed by your guild. In the span of one year you lost your strongest mages, but managed to train up those who were weaker into a force to be reckoned with. And you haven't caused massive trouble yet, either. In all frankness, Fairy Tail is growing on me."

"Thank you. We'll try to keep it that way." Natsu said with a light laugh. Org nodded.

"Good, because my first dedication is still to the law, and if you go back to collateral damage and council interference I can't protect you from the rest of the council. They still despise you. But I wish you the best of luck in your coming years as a guild master and hope I see you less. That's no insult, the less I see of you the more well-behaved your guild is."

Natsu nodded and Org left as soon as he'd arrived. He took a seat at the nearest table just to take in the ambience again. Lia was dancing with Hibiki, Ren with Sherry, and other couples were forming. Macao and Wakaba were crying and making a strong attempt to get dance partners, but it wasn't working for them. Natsu laughed into his hand.

Jenny's blonde hair swayed as she strode right up behind Natsu and leaned against his shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her chin into the top of his skull.

"Come dance with me." Natsu obliged, and two two went off to the dance floor. Everyone who noticed was shocked, but to those who were already aware of the new couple it was a sweet little moment. Luckily no extra guests were allowed in, the gossip reporters would've been all over it. Bob looked on with pride and happiness.

"He's really becoming something special, Mak. You would be so proud…"

Alzack exited the restroom with a glassy look in his eyes and a huge smile plastered along his face. With Lia occupied, it was Sarah who noticed it. She rolled her eyes and watched as Bisca exited a minute later. But it did remind Sarah that it had been a long time since she'd last done anything of _that_ nature. She glanced around and spotted the only attractive and single male in the whole hall and began to strut to the Lamia Scale table.

* * *

Several hours later the majority of Fiore nobility and councilmen had left the palace, leaving only the victorious guilds and a select few others in the ballroom. And to a few of the craftier attendees, this was the perfect time.

Hibiki took to the stage and summoned up his archive magic. In front of him a drum machine and turntables formed out of lights.

"Let's fucking party!" Loud dance music began to blare and the ballroom dancing stopped. It was replaced by frantic and high energy jumping and cheering, and club dancing.

Even the singles got up and went wild in the center. The lights dimmed and strobes flashed from Hibki's archives. He was always ready to party.

The sipping wines were switched for harder bottles of cognacs and cocktails.

"Diamond district in the chain! Certified you know I gang!" A girl from Kraken Maw to the stage and began to sing and rap along to the hectic song. "Oh I need the dollas! Beat it up like pinatas!" The dancing grew more wild and those who had partners were treated to a grindfest.

Sarah backed it up into Lyon who cheered, getting drunker by the minute. Further off Bisca did the same to Alzack, and other notable couples with the exception of Natsu and Jenny followed suit.

"I said I like it like that!" Hibiki sung as well, adding his voice to the chant. Lia downed half a bottle of brown cognac. Fox hit the floor and started a breakdance routine, impressing all onlookers.

"Tell the driver close the curtains! Bad bitch make em nervous!" Malcolm was failing in a drinking contest with Bacchus. All around scenes of chaotic partying were unfolding. The mood was still merry, but just in a different way. Jenny was going wild too. In fact, she had already requipped into an outfit more suited to wild dancing, with clingy dance pants and a cropped top. Natsu wasn't doing a great job at keeping up with her, both in the dancing and the drinks. Of course he had the innate advantage with his faster metabolism, but it didn't change too much. Three bottles of vodka later Jenny was obliterated but still having the night of her life. Her partner stood beside her but was more watching her than actually doing any partying himself.

Ne'e and a a lot of the other guild masters kindly excused themselves, leaving only the younger and crazier mages. And Bob.

But a bunch of drunk people partying in a room there was bound to be a problem eventually. Someone shoved someone else, who ended up being pushed into Bacchus. He pulled the guy who'd slammed into him up by the collar and punched him in the face, which incited a whole brawl on the dance floor.

Natsu led Jenny away as the fight ended, just as quickly as it started. And then the mood lightened and returned to partying. But Jenny was a little out of it.

"Let me take you home," Natsu told her as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Bob gave him the address of their hotel and the two walked through the empty midnight streets.

"Aww, I was just starting to have fun…" It took Jenny a few tries to finally form the sentence, and even when she did it was slurry and mispronounced. Natsu chuckled and picked her up bridal style, ascending the marble stairs to Blue Pegasus' mansion like lodgings. He found room thirty-three and walked in. All around were racks of clothes, jewelry, and other luxuries. At the far end of the room was the bed. Natsu set Jenny down and laid her on her side. He propped pillows behind her so that she wouldn't roll over in her sleep, and with a small towelette wiped the make-up off of her face. He sat for a moment and just marveled at her beauty. But a strange thought popped into his head unbidden. It was her again. The one he'd lost. He shook his head violently and left the room quietly.

As he was turning the doorknob he heard a very faint, and very weak voice.

"Natsu, can you stay here tonight?" He looked over his shoulder and saw Jenny lying exactly where he'd left her, still unconscious. How had she spoken? He wasn't sure, but he decided tempting fate was not the most intelligent plan. He pulled a chair up by her bed and looked for something to do.

The only thing she had in the room were magazines, and Natsu figured if that was all he would have to make do. He plucked up the newest issue between his fingers in a quick motion and flipped through it. A lot of dumb interviews, some stupid top ten lists, and then photoshoots. Scantily clad women in a variety of lewd poses. Natsu felt a strange heat within him that he couldn't quite explain. Perhaps it had been the lust in the air mixed with the alcohol and sweat of the dance floor that had charged his primal dragon senses. He felt himself grow slightly and he looked around. The only light in the room was from the small lacrima on the end table. It was certainly ambient.

With a sigh, Natsu moved his hold of the magazine to one hand and used his other to free himself. It seemed like a poor time to do this but he had needs, and he needed them sated. And besides the magazine, Jenny's hair hung over her face and her huge breasts popped against the crop top.

Embarrassed, Natsu buried his face in the magazine as his pace picked up. The whole situation was weird enough, he felt like looking at Jenny while doing it would be defiling her in some way. He flipped a page carefully and was surprised to see a full spread of Jenny laying in a revealing swimsuit.

At this point he said to hell with it, he couldn't be the only mage who'd rubbed one out to this specific photo. He gave one last burst of energy and finished inside the magazine, flipping it closed to hide his activity. And when he put it down and zipped back up, he took one last look at Jenny. She was so beautiful, even here without make-up laying across her bed haphazardly. Natsu grinned and leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes.

Life had taken from him, but it was doing a fair amount of giving too.

 **Several Hours Later, Sunrise**

Jenny woke up slowly, remembering the night up until she and Natsu were going down the street. Her head screamed at her in pain as she pushed herself up slowly. She scolded herself for not taking off her make-up, but pressing one palm to her face she found that it was gone. Had Natsu…?

And then she saw him. He sat sprawled over a chair beside her bed with his mouth wide open deep in slumber. She smiled and rubbed at her temples. She needed water, bread, and a bloody mary. Jenny noticed the pillows as well and found her heart aching in ways it hadn't done before.

Natsu was so good to her despite them being a thing for like two days. And she would have to say goodbye to him soon, and then not see him for weeks. She sighed and got up slowly, stripping out of her clothes.

The blonde strode nude over to the end table to extract a hand mirror, and as she reached for the handle she spotted one of her magazines. She picked it up and opened it, the pages immediately flopping open to her full spread, which was now debased in dried semen.

Irritated was what she was. Not for the fact that her boyfriend had fapped to a photo of her, she didn't care about that. Jenny collected every issue of the weekly sorcerer and he had ruined this month's edition, meaning she would have to get another one. But when the irritation faded the realization that her boyfriend had masturbated to a photograph of her set in. She looked back at Natsu and smiled with a gleam in her eye.

* * *

Natsu didn't open his eyes but he felt the drool running down his chin and neck and closed his mouth. But doing so assaulted his senses with the vile taste of morning breath. He sat more upright groggily, his eyes adjusting to the light slowly. The dim morning shone through the soft and wavering curtains. Natsu rubbed at his eyes and felt the crackling sleep sand fall away from the sides. He looked up with more clarity.

And there she was. Sitting with one leg over the other, in white lacy lingerie. It accentuated her sculpted curves and figure. Her hair was done up in its usual high ponytail that cascaded down her back.

Natsu was dumbfounded. It certainly wasn't what he had expected to see first thing in the morning, and it definitely didn't calm down his morning wood.

"Like what you see?" She asked sensually. Natsu guessed she had found the magazine, but the thought wasn't long in his mind. Something else demanded his attention. Natsu got off his chair and put a devilish grin on his face. Jenny stood up too, and the two met at the center of the room. They wrapped their arms around each other and their lips collided. It was a hectic clash of skin and tongue and lips as they two felt and caressed. Natsu's top fell off and Jenny got a first class view of his toned abdomen and pecs. He was cut. Her hands ran all along the hardened muscles as Natsu moved his own palms from the back to the front. Her bra unclasped and hit the floor as Natsu marveled at the size and shape of her assets. He ran his callused hands along them, feeling their weight and suppleness as he began to knead lightly. Jenny moved her lips to his neck and suckled as his explorations made her warmthen.

Her hands found the belt of his pants and in a few quick moves he was completely bare, standing like a soldier at attention. The two continued their frantic kissing as their hands danced around each other.

Amidst the chaos of their making out Jenny wound up with her back facing the bed. She lost her footing and Natsu helped her body glide to the sheets. She looked up at his powerful form and the two met eyes.

Natsu's eyes were ablaze with fire, but the fire he usually only set ablaze during his fights. Her panties were somehow flung across the room and Natsu ducked in between her glistening thigs. Jenny cried out and ran her hands in his dishevelled red hair as he went to work. He was making magic down there.

Luckily for Natsu he had stolen one or two of Erza's smut novels in his time, and he had a good idea of where to put his tongue. Which worked wonders on Jenny, who's soft moans of delight were evolving into cries of ecstatic shock. It seemed like as good a time as any.

He positioned himself further over her and went in for it as he cupped his partner's face. They kissed deeply once more as their movements synced.

"Natsu!" Jenny cried out as she arched her back in a crashing wave of ecstasy.

Down in the courtyard of the hotel Bob grinned and put his hands on his cheeks. Young love was a beautiful thing. He skipped back away into the lobby with a light chuckle.

* * *

"Remember to visit!" Sarah scolded Alzack and Bisca as they walked up the ramp to board the train. Bisca gave a broad smile and nodded her head.

"Of course! Stay out of trouble you three!" She exclaimed. Malcolm and Fox both laughed, knowing that they most certainly would not. Ne'e put her hands on Natsu's shoulders and stared him in the eyes.

"I do not know when I will see you next. But you have a strong soul, and will most certainly be tested again and again. But the palm tree withstands hurricane after hurricane, bearing strong fruit. You will endure." She handed him a small golden coin and gestured for the rest of Kraken Maw to follow her out of the train station.

Lamia Scale bid farewell to their friends as well, shaking hands and giving hugs. Jura and Natsu joked about their rematch as usual, and the made their goodbyes. But there was one last one for Natsu.

He approached Jenny and picked her up in a massive hug. The two then shared an amorous kiss before he let her down.

"I'll see you in a few weeks," Natsu said with a grin. Jenny blushed and nodded.

"It'll feel a lot longer than that." They both knew it was true. But compared to how long Natsu had already waited, and likely would wait, for his Tenrou friends, a few weeks was nothing. He got on the vehicle with dread in his heart. It had barely begun to move when he lurched to the side. But he put all of his willpower into propping himself up against the windowsill and waving out. All of Fairy Tail did similar. Waving goodbye to Crocus as it shrank further and further from them in the distance. What a week it had been.


	16. Chapter 16- Selections

**Chapter 16- Selections**

Lia ducked beneath the flying mace and with a flick of her wrist an arch of soaring blades surged through the air glimmering in the light. Each one ripped into the clothing of the bandits before her, pinning them against the trees. Another job well done.

The authorities jammed the outlaws into the cart and wheeled off. The Fairy Tail wizard wiped the sweat from her brow and exhaled loudly. This was her fourth successful job this week, and she hoped more than anything she would make the cut for the S class exams. She hadn't been a member long but she was a tough one and her tenacity definitely showed.

And with that she began her long and lonely trek back to Magnolia.

* * *

The roads of Magnolia were all beautiful and vibrant. Filled with colorful people and smiles, shops were busy and people were happy. Natsu was satisfied. And today would be a new beginning. A truly new beginning. He'd spent a year despairing, a year being chained to a past he couldn't have changed.

The sun was out, and Natsu knew that he could live his life free of fear and sadness. In its place was happiness and hope. It had been a year exactly since Tenrou, and it would likely only be a few more. Or so Natsu hoped. But faith was such a necessity. And Natsu had faith in his guild and their return.

He pushed open the huge swinging doors to the guild hall and it went silent. Today was the day. All eyes were fixed on the guild master as he pathed from the large entryway to the stage. Natsu took to the stage and stood high above the rest of the people around him, the focal point of everyone's gaze.

"I have the five candidates." The silence continued and the tension was palpable. Five? People panicked as they realized the gravity of the number. There were a several obvious strongest mages, which eliminated most of the general pool.

"These five were selected based on completed jobs, passion, and overall strength. I want to put our guild's best foot forward this year, but remember. Being a candidate doesn't guarantee that any of you will even pass the trials. I'm gonna call your name and I want you to come to the stage. First, Bisca Moulin!" Everyone applauded but nobody was surprised. She was the clear frontrunner.

Bisca smiled and ascended the steps to stand beside Natsu. She locked eyes with Alzack who gave her a look of assurance and pride.

"Next, Nab Lasaro! Lia Stehlen!" Lia's eyes widened when she heard her name. She'd done it? She mounted the stage, turning the shock into swagger as a smug smirk wound around her cheeks.

"Max, and Macao!" Macao's name left the entire room in disbelief. How had he taken the spot over someone as qualified as Alzack? But Macao didn't seem to mind as he went up with the other four selectees.

"Let me explain the rules! As is typical, each of these five wizards will select a partner. It can be whoever you want it to be. But they need to be selected by tomorrow. At the end of the day tomorrow your first challenge will begin. Meet here once again with your partner for the event to start. Good luck everyone!"

And with that Natsu retreated to behind the red curtain of the stage, leaving the five by themselves. The whispering and side conversation in the hall began as each of the selected mages started to scan the hall. Bisca and Alzack's eyes met instantly, as was expected of the couple and power-duo. There was no doubt that they would be teaming up for the exams.

Jet looked expectantly up at Max who walked to Shadow Gear, but Max shook his head and put a hand on Droy's shoulder.

"Sorry, Jet. Our Magic's just work better together if it can only be two of us…" Jet was a bit crushed but he played it off casually.

"No worries, I totally get it. Good luck you two! Hopefully Max can make it!" Max and Droy smiled and shook hands before walking out into the practice yard. Jet sighed deeply and laid his head on the table.

Meanwhile, Nab and Kinana had decided to team up across the room. Lia looked on in frustration as the pool of even sort of apt wizards shrank. She met eyes with Macao who began to approach her, and Lia bolted.

"Hey Jet! Wanna be my partner?" Jet's eyes lit up as Lia stared him down, and further off Macao halted in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder at Wakaba and exhaled in annoyance. The two stooges wouldn't make it very far.

 **The Following Morning**

The sun was just beginning to peak over the hills behind Magnolia. Alzack wiped his sweaty brow with a small hand towel and breathed deeply. It was only a few more hours now, and it was finally time to rest.

"Great work, babe!" Bisca complimented. She approached him and leaned against him, equally drenched in perspiration.

"I think we're the only two who tried to cram training…" Bisca laughed quietly and nodded her head as the couple stood in their embrace, appreciating the sunset.

"I don't want to sound rude but it's because we're the only two who have a chance of making it far. But even then I don't know if it was enough…" The two turned slightly so their faces hovered inches away from each other's. Alzack saw the confidence in Bisca and let it bolster his own. Then he leaned forward and the two locked lips for several moments.

After a bit of time Bisca pulled away and leaned closer to Alzack's ear.

"If I get promoted to S class I'll give you an S class night…" And she punctuated her promise with a very miniscule nip on Alzack's ear. As was typical, Alzack flushed and went beet red. Bisca grinned and turned away, picking her bag up from the ground before gesturing for her partner to follow her back into town.

* * *

"Let me explain the rules. Each team will wander out into Magnolia. Hidden in the city are five portals I've had set up. Three portals will lead to an S class adversary! You will not know which until you pass through and encounter them! The other two portals will pit the teams who enter against each other. One team will be guaranteed to make it to the second stage. As many as four teams have the ability to advance. Do everything in your power to make sure that the advancing team is yours!" Natsu's eyes scanned over the ten selected testees. "Alright, get out there and make me proud!"

A gong rang out across the city and the five partnerships bolted for the doors. They streamed out in a large pack and Natsu crossed his arms happily. He sipped his ale and stood at the top of the balcony of the guild hall, looking out into the city. In his mind the only realistic chance anyone had of advancing was winning the two versus two segment. But depending on luck it could be a team like Macao and Wakaba against Droy and Max, and in that case neither team had a chance of passing the second challenge.

But Natsu wasn't sure. Maybe he'd be surprised. He would appreciate a positive surprise for once. He looked at the sun and thought about the time each group would need in his head. Natsu figured he had about an hour before he needed to head over to the launch point for stage two.

Meanwhile, down beneath the high gabled roofs and the lazy sun Macao and Wakaba sprinted happily towards the glowing ball of blue energy.

"It's the portal!" Macao exclaimed in excitement as the two stopped right in front of it.

"Alright, partner. Through here is either an S class wizard or one of the other groups! Let's get in there and fuck shit up!" Macao and Wakaba slammed their hands together into a manly shake.

"Here's hoping it's not one of the S class mages!"

"Amen!"

And the two hopped through the portal.

As they were spat out the scenery shifted dramatically. The forest was halted and changed to granite ground. High rocks on Magnolia's more mountainous side loomed around them and cast a shadow across the earth.

"Hello boys…!" Came a sing song voice. The two looked around for who had said it, and out from behind a rock she came. Her untameable and massive blonde hair waved in the gentle breeze and her satin red dress billowed around her frame. Jenny smiled at the two as her appearance changed into her battle form.

The Fairy Tail wizards gulped and began to tremble. Surely, this was one of the worst outcomes for them. But Macao regained his composure and shook the nervousness off, donning a stoic facial expression.

"Come on, Wakaba. Let's fuck shit up." His palms glowed with their purple fire. Wakaba nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets all the while a huge puff of smoke wafted from his pipe.

Macao flung two ropes of his sticky flame into the air and wrapped them around a rock, hoisting himself into the air as a cloud of smoke flew forward.

Jenny slid through the granite avoiding the kick attack but was battered by the solid smoke. Macao then rolled over his shoulder and got back to his feet. Another blob of flame wrapped around her ankle and she was pulled into the ground harshly.

 _Scaling difficulty_. Those had been the words Natsu had imparted to the S class wizards assisting him in proctoring. Jenny figured now was a good time to vamp up a bit. She glowed with energy as her takeover soul changed, and she was lined in caution tape and heavy machinery in her new form.

Macao used his flame like a whip attack but Jenny caught both tendrils and flung him against a rock. Wakaba attempted to advance but she glimpsed him in her peripheral vision and swung a wrecking ball attachment in his direction.

The smoke clone puffed and vanished as the real Wakaba's boot hit her in the face. Jenny grunted and hit the ground but her wrecking ball still pelted the smoke mage in the chest.

All three of them returned to their upright positions and resumed the combat. Macao put his palms up and a storm of purple fire bullets rolled into the air battering Jenny. She raised her arms and the metal pinged and was dented by the onslaught. Meanwhile Wakaba was able to get behind her and a huge smoke fist hit her in the back. She stumbled forward and Macao delivered a fire-wreathed punch square in her face. The heat sizzled some of the hair hanging at the sides of her face and Jenny stopped. She looked at the burnt hair and then back at Macao, all the light fading from her blue eyes.

Macao gulped as light lined Jenny once more and magical power erupted onto the battleground. She changed to her exo-soul and the thrusters shot her into the air. The huge guns at the sides of her arms spun and glowed with white hot energy as she glared down at the two, devoid of feeling.

"You two are fucking dead…" And then she blasted them, and with them their chances of advancing into the next stage.

* * *

Lia and Jet faced off against Nab and Kinana. They stood in the middle of the forest outside of Magnolia, far from the watchful eyes of anybody else in the guild, or any of the citizens of the city.

That did mean, though, that there was no access to iron besides what Lia had already brought with her, and this was a disadvantage.

Jet sped past Nab, who hunted him in his tiger stance like a cat pawing at a fly. Lia was also retreating, each of her iron attacks being melted away by the corrosive force of the venom on the small girl's arms.

Nab finally caught up to jet and brought the speed wizard down with a swipe of his palm. Jet careened across the forest floor and slammed into a tree trunk. Lia could feel herself slowing down and out of nowhere she was blindsided by a shoulder slam from Nab. She rolled across dead leaves and bits of tree bark that cut into her skin and left her a crumpled mess. Kinana and Nab high fived each other in celebration and passed the two prone bodies to the portal. Tears rolled down Lia's cheeks as it zipped closed leaving her and Jet alone in the forest.

Footsteps crunched along the decaying plant life and Lia looked up. Jura approached with Max and Droy slung over either shoulder, and he glanced down at the bodies. With a sad sigh her scooped the two up and carried the four with him on his gentle walk back to Magnolia.

* * *

Natsu stood with his arms crossed looking silently at Kinana and Nab. The lucky two who hadn't needed to fight an S class wizard. He pondered whether or not Nab would be able to make it through the next challenge, but as he stood brooding another portal began to crackle into existence. Natsu dropped his arms and his eyes widened as two figures hopped onto the grass of the hill.

"Sorry we're late," Bisca announced. Alzack brushed off his poncho and grinned. Behind them, Natsu could vaguely see Bacchus lying on the ground through the shimmering and turbulent portal. He looked back at the gunslingers and smiled.

"Wel… Two groups was double what I was expecting. Great job! I guess now I'll introduce stage two! Somewhere just outside of Magnolia is my home. The first team that finds it gets to face the final test, and then you're an S class mage. Good luck!" And with the explanation done Natsu crunched up the soft grass and a portal opened before him. He stepped into it and it sealed shut.

Bisca and Alzack glanced over their shoulders at Nab and Kinana, who were now taking off towards the mountainous side of the wilderness.

"Don't worry, I know where it is." Bisca took Alzack's hand and the two went towards the tree line.

It was a rather quick walk, and they passed through the woods until they reached a clearing. On a hill in the clearing sat a large tree, and built into the side of that tree was a small and lonely hovel.

"That's Natsu's house?" Alzack asked in shock. Bisca nodded once more and stared up at it.

"I followed Ezra here once. But I never went up the hill, this was as far as I got last time… Let's go."

They trotted up the side of the hill past small blooming poppy flowers and little buzzing bees until they were at the door to the house. It was a faded wood but seemed very much well tended to.

She put her palm to the door and pushed lightly, swinging it open with a creak as light spilled in. The two of them stepped into the doorway and peeked about. There were shelves filled with old trophies and trinkets Natsu had gotten on jobs. And a big poster from his first job with Lucy. And then a huge photo of Team Natsu smiling. Tears welled at the corners of Bisca's eyes.

"It's really been a year without them…"

"That is has…" Bisca and Alzack turned in fright and at the back of the room sitting in shadows was the Fourth Master himself. He stood up and walked into the light, his eyes brimming with fire and a frown plastered on his face. Bisca and Alzack looked at each other and for the first time ever, Natsu was filling them with fear.

"Alright. Your final challenge is simple. Defeat me." Natsu began to glow with energy as Dragon Arc triggered his Dragon force, and the ethereal armor plated him as his skin grew scaly and hot. Fire lined him in a wreath and he took one singular step forward.

That motion alone caused the two Fairy Tail wizards to bolt from the house. They knew range was the only way they could win. But as they looked for high ground a pillar of flame erupted from the doorway and drilled into Alzack's spine. He cried out and was thrown violently over the side of the hill, tumbling down it painfully until he landed at the bottom. Bisca requipped her grappling hook and fired into a tall tree, the coil wrenching her from her spot. Even as she flew she felt searing heat behind her and realized she had narrowly dodged another flame attack.

Natsu stepped out of his house, each footstep scorching the grass beneath as he looked up into the treeline. Bisca was already aiming her rifle at him and she squeezed the trigger. A solid bolt flew into the air but exploded feet from Natsu, the heat melting through the casing and triggering the HE round inside preemptively.

Bisca's eyes widened as Natsu's legs were encased with swirling flames and he rose off the ground slowly. Suddenly, a volley of crackling electrical shots hit Natsu in the chest from below the hill. They had little effect, but Natsu switched his focus. At the bottom of the hill Alzack dove behind a small boulder as Natsu stooped and slammed into the ground where the cowboy had previously been.

Natsu kicked at the rock and it exploded into cracked pebbles and dust. Alzack cried out and blew as many penetrating slugs as he could into Natsu, but each hit harmlessly against the armor of light and heat. A huge rocket plowed into Natsu's head from above and exploded into a huge cloud of red and black. Alzack too off as fast as he could but Natsu leapt from the cloud and slammed his fiery fist into the retreating mage. Alzack felt all the wind rush from his body immediately and he rolled across the grass once more. Natsu looked up as another rocket soared in his direction, but a blast of fire from his mouth stopped it middair.

Bisca cursed and quickly grappled away from Natsu's cone of flame, once again dodging the column of flame in the nick of time. He flew into the air once more and blasted towards the sniper. She looked behind her and in her free hand summoned her shotgun, firing a scatter of rounds that exploded and glowed with tremendous light. Natsu squinted and stopped in his tracks, waiting for the daze to wear off.

More rounds hit him in the back and ice tried to form, but it turned to steam immediately. Alzack was up again, huffing and wounded, but up. Natsu grunted whipped his elbows, sending two waves of crescent fire in Alzack's direction. The defender fired several wind shots that dispersed the flame in the air and then shot several generic rounds. Natsu looked away from Alzack and tried to spot the only one of the two capable of damaging him.

His eyes widened as a huge purple beam, akin to Jenny's, crackled and shot towards him. It hit him in the chest and his ethereal armor shattered in the air. He spiraled down to the ground and fell hard. Alzack then pumped more HE rounds at Natsu, and this time they all connected.

Natsu cried out in pain, but sucked in the fire from the explosions and stood up once more. He was still in dragon force, and nobody could stop him. Alzack watched Natsu advance through the fire and explosion and felt his trousers warm up. Natsu looked like a demon. And then a fiery fist connected with his forehead, and that was it for Alzack.

Bisca cried out in frustration as the huge purple rifle in front of her cooled. Natsu looked up at her and flew into the air. The machine dinged, signalling its full recharge, and she fired another purple energy lance. But this time Natsu ducked around it and smashed into her tree.

She rolled off the branch and grappled to a nearby vantage point, but Natsu got her middair and tackled her to the ground. She grunted and quickly requipped to her tommyguns, unloading both drums into Natsu pointblank. They hit his skin but didn't enter, or even bruise. He put both hands on each barrel of the guns, and they both melted. Bisca screamed and tried to furiously punch in a last ditch effort to get him off her, but her attacks did more damage to herself than to the salamander.

"It's over. You've lost." Natsu said, devoid of emotion. It was a fact. But Bisca wasn't done yet. She requipped a small pistol and unloaded it's magazine into Natsu. He sighed and gripped her arm, slowly applying heat. She cried out and the weapon dropped.

"You _**lost**_ , Bisca." Natsu said more forcefully.

"I won't lose! I can't! I have to be strong enough! For the guild! For the ones we've lost! I'll keep fighting until they're back!" And then she requipped to the purple rifle again. Natsu's looked into the barrel and his eyes widened. It dinged.

The purple lance ripped forward and Natsu screamed as he was engulfed in an intense pain. His whole body was flung back off of Bisca and he landed several feet away. Bisca grunted and stood to her feet, both hands wrapped around the heavy weapon. Her arms and legs were burned, her body was broken, but her spirit blazed with heat of Natsu's body. He turned himself around and pushed himself up. He didn't think he'd have to go this far against Bisca. Lightning crackled along his body as the flames seared.

He got to his feet and the two stood off against each other. She pushed the gun to her shoulder as it dinged. Natsu widened his stance and opened his mouth.

"Roar of the-" But the lance shot first. Natsu let out his breath and the two collided mid air. The lasers hit and swirled with energy, but suddenly Natsu's attack powered through and engulfed Bisca.

As the light faded Natsu saw his guildmate lying on the ground sobbing uncontrollably. His face softened and he dropped out of his dragon force. He approached her and bent his legs. She covered her face with one of her burned forearms, and Natsu took her other hand with his.

"Bisca… You didn't beat me. But you did something else. You persevered, amidst all hopelessness you kept going. You did something I would've, so either I'm rubbing off on you guys or you're crazy. But that's what Fairy Tail needs right now. Bisca, congratulations. You're an S class wizard."

Natsu stood up and a portal crackled open before him. He needed to go retrieve medical help for the two. Bisca laid in the grass and continued to weep, even despite the good news. It was all too much for her to handle.

* * *

On the outskirts of Magnolia a girl with long black hair set down her backpack and sighed. Her wrapped sword hung at her waist and her skirt flapped in the breeze.

"So this is Magnolia… Fairy Tail, here I come!"

 _A/N: Welp, I'm starting my classes again in a week, and I'm taking quite a few units this semester so we might be regressing to once a week updates so I can keep up with the workload and writing chapters with substance. We'll see though, maybe it'll stay the same._


	17. Chapter 17- Gravity

**Chapter 17- Gravity**

The guild all raised their mugs, tankards and glasses and cheered. Right beside Natsu on stage standing in all of her bandages, Bisca was beaming. Natsu's smile shone ear to ear as he applauded Fairy Tail's newest S class wizard.

"Now you can go on all the S class jobs you like!" The guild cheered again as Kinana finally opened the curtains around the S class board, which had been closed for an entire year now.

The normal conversations resumed and Bisca hopped down to be with Alzack. Natsu grinned as he spotted the familiar blonde hair by the bar and he made his way over to her.

"Hey, love," Natsu greeted as he wrapped his arms around Jenny's waist. She smiled and leaned back into him. "Where did Bisca get the purple laser-gun?"

"Oh, it was part of the machine I took Exo's soul from. I figured I didn't need it anymore and Bob gave me the okay."

"That was generous, thank him when you get back for me. And thanks to you too." Natsu gave her a kiss on the cheek. Jenny chuckled before sighing deeply.  
"Speaking of Bob, he said he wanted me back tonight." Natsu's heart sank.

"Tonight? That means you'd have to leave right now?" Jenny nodded and unraveled herself from his grasp. She stood and leaned in close to him.

"Not now, but soon. Let's grab a bite to eat, my treat." The salamander nodded and took Jenny's hand. The two trotted out of the guild hall happily and many eyes followed them incredulously. It was the first time anyone who hadn't been at the games had seen the two together.

"I still can't believe Natsu landed a babe like her…" Macao scoffed into his tankard. The iron bucked up suddenly and splashed him with beer. He coughed and looked across the table at Lia in anger. "What the fuck was that for?"

"You talk a lot of game for a guy who's only fucked as many times as he's had kids," the blonde taunted. Wakaba put a hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Oh yeah, and what's your body count, then?" Macao questioned, slamming his fists into the table.

"Good question, but every boy down in Magnolia my age probably…"

"Besides Natsu," Kinana quipped as she slid past with a round of refills for a nearby table. Lia clenched her fists and steamed as Macao and Wakaba erupted into laughter.

"It's good to see everyone's spirits so high," Bisca observed from a few tables away. "Even if we're missing some people, the atmosphere's returned to what its always been…"

Alzack nodded his head and scanned his eyes around the room. He noticed it too. They'd faced quite a few trials in the last year on their own, but they'd weathered all the storms that had been thrown at them.

The doors at the end of the hall opened and a stranger crept in nervously. She wore a white jacket and a red skirt, and her black hair was knotted with a red bow. Atop her back was a large knapsack bursting with essentials, and by her side hung a wrapped sword.

"U-um, excuse me? Where's Master Dragneel?" The room collectively glanced around at each other, and Bisca stood first.

"He's out at the moment, can I help you with something?" The girl shook her head and looked to the floor. Bisca smiled and walked to the smaller girl. "What's your name?" The girl wouldn't make eye contact, but she managed to finally formed words.

"Kagura…" Bisca frowned but put her hand on Kagura's arm.

"You can wait here for a little while if you want, he'll be back in an hour or two." Kagura nodded her head as Bisca led her to the table.

Further away the two crooning and aging vultures glared over the rims of their mugs.

"She's got a nice rack…" Both mugs jumped out of Macao and Wakaba's hands of their own volition, splashing them.

"Dammit, not again!" Wakaba shouted as Lia cackled in the corner. She was tired of their antics. The blonde cast her gaze over at the newcomer and questions raced through her mind, but mainly around the wrapped blade. Her magnetic detection told her the sword was more powerful than any metal she'd felt before. Something about Kagura in her entirety made Lia very nervous.

This wasn't the case for Kinana, though. Unfortunately, her attempts at small talk were wasted. Kagura's head was no longer on the floor, but fixed in a destination off in space.

* * *

Two guards stood in black armor outside of a huge brass door carved out of the side of a mountain. Each bore the mark of a dark guild.

"Hey… You ever wonder why we're here?" The first asked. The second woke up from his nap and snapped to attention.

"Huh? Oh… Yeah, I guess that's one of life's greatest mysteries, isn't it? I mean-"

"No, dipshit. Why are we here, standing outside of this goddam base, in this fucking desert?!"

"Oh. Yeah, well it's cuz The Baram Alliance is kinda gone to shit, so like we're tryna get bigger, you know? So, like, we gotta guard I guess?"

The two began to argue about the relative shittiness of their guild, which kept them completely distracted from a singular advancing man. He kicked through the sand slowly, his blonde hair soaked with sweat clinging to his head. His shirt was wrapped around the back of his neck and his bronze skin shone with a layer of slick perspiration.

"Hey, boys!" The man called. The guards snapped from each other to the new stranger, and both held their halberds defensively.

"Who the hell are you?" The first guard called. The blonde man continued to approach the group with a crooked grin.

"I'm Monte. Your new boss." Monte stopped and leaned over, panting. All across his bare back was an enormous glowing cyan tattoo. But it wasn't a tattoo, there was a layer of lacrima embedded in the man's skin. And it was shaped in the image of strange eastern characters and a huge guild mark. It looked like a mechanical demon.

"Boss?" The first guard asked. He then looked to the second guard, and the two erupted into laughter. Monte sighed and rose to his full height, which suddenly seemed more imposing to the guards than before.

"Look, let me in and take me to whoever's in charge. Please." The guards smirked and pointed their halberds at Monte.

"Sorry, we can't do that." Monte's grin fell into a sad frown. It felt like the air was getting hotter than before, which was already egregiously hot.

"I'm gonna ask one more time, cuz I have orders but I don't wanna hurt you two." The guards charged and rammed their halberds into Monte's chest, each one puncturing and spilling boiling blood into the sand. Monte exhaled once again and pulled the weapons out of his skin, dropping them each with a loud thud. The guards stood in shock as the wounds cauterized instantly and Monte began to glow.

From inside the mountain base the members of Manticore Stinger socialized and drank. The lighting inside was dim and evil, and a ruthless leader stood above them all surrounded by women and bodyguards. The whole base began to shake and without a seconds warning the huge metal doors were blown from their massive hinges and tossed through the hall, crushing dozens of dark mages and ruining the interior design. Light poured in and everyone's eyes were forced to adjust for several long seconds. But when they refocused, Monte came into view.

He casually strode into the hall, his hands tucked into his pockets, and the smug grin back on his face. He stared up at the guild master and gestured with one finger for him to come down.

"There's a new top dog in the underworld, and we gotta talk about your tithe."

* * *

Natsu entered the guild hall with a full stomach and a more full heart. He'd seen Jenny off at the train station and was ready to get back to work.

"Master, someone's here to see you!" Kinana called as she hurried around with drinks. Natsu glanced over to where she gestured and he spotted Kagura. He made his way over to her table and pulled out a chair opposite of her.

"I'm Natsu, who're you?" He asked with a big grin. Kagura's face lit up from the stone-cold expression it had bore before.

"Kagura Mikazuchi. You took down the Tower of Heaven, right?" Natsu was taken aback by the question, in fact he hadn't heard that name in a very long time.

"Uh, yeah. Me and my friends did. My friends and I, actually…" Natsu corrected his poor grammar. Kagura leaned forward excitedly and her voice was brimming with a new life.

"My brother was one of the slaves taken when we were both children, his name was Simon. Do you know where he went after it was destroyed?" And in that instant Natsu felt his soul darken. And Kagura saw it. The light faded from his eyes and he clenched his fingers more tightly.

"The battle to take down the cult, and its leader, was a hard one. And Simon was instrumental in that fight. But he ended up making the ultimate sacrifice." Kagura slumped back in her chair, devoid of expression. Her lips moved, but she didn't speak. But Natsu heard the subdued noise just so slightly. _No_. She said it again, louder this time, and tears formed in her eyes.

"I want to give you my deepest condolences, if you need-"

"No!" Kagura screamed. The air thickened and Natsu felt as if he was suddenly carrying a mountain. The whole guild hall fell to the floor and screamed out as the gravity of the room increased. The building rumbled and Natsu saw the columns buckle under the strain, large cracks running up the sides of the wood and stone.

Kagura wailed and curled into a ball, and the effects of her strife were felt far into Magnolia. People collapsed, homes were strained, and birds fell from the sky. And it kept increasing. Natsu watched all around as his guild mates screamed, cried, and looked to him. He tried to open his mouth to utter words, but that proved to be a monumental task.

"Kagura!" He called. But it fell on deaf ears. He activated his Dragon Force and slowly pushed himself up from the ground. His muscles bulged and ached as he got to his feet, and he felt as if his back was about to break as he stood up straight. One step. Natsu managed to push himself forward one step at a time, and after what felt like an eternity of pain and suffering he was mere feet from Kagura.

She was still tucked tightly in a ball, her hair a mess on the ground and her eyes pouring tears. Natsu bent his knees and moved his face closer to the prone girl.

"Kagura!" He called once more, extending a hand. He gritted his teeth as the task of keeping his arm in the air proved to be overwhelmingly difficult.

She was still crying, but her neck craned upwards and her eyes locked with Natsu's.

"Simon died to save the world. To save _you_. And here you are, today, living and breathing. Don't toss that sacrifice away by inflicting pain and suffering on others! Everyone in this hall has lost someone, if not a lot of people who were close to them! We're a family of broken people, but we're here for each other, and we're here for you too!"

And in Natsu's eyes Kagura saw something. She remembered fire and death, but the red hair and the caring eyes. She had felt calm then, and she was suddenly calm now. The gravity lightened and her tear ducts dried up. She took Natsu's hand, and he pulled her into an embrace.

"Join Fairy Tail, we can't make it feel better all at once but give us time and I promise you'll improve." Kagura sniffled and nodded her head. The people around the hall got up slowly, all marvelling at what Natsu had done. This was a level of empathy most thought was impossible from the salamander. But he had done it, and now Fairy Tail had a new and very powerful member.

* * *

The Rune Knights edged closer to the swirling sandstorm. In the lush and fertile grasslands it seemed impossible for there to be this sort of weather. But there was no denying it, which meant strange magic was afoot. And not but twenty miles from the headquarters of the Wizard Council, the Rune Knights were forced to investigate.

It shot into the sky, swirling and crackling with power, creating a wall of dull brown for miles across. The Rune Knights eyed it nervously as they approached closer, coming dangerously near.

The captain etched a dispelling rune with his glowing sword, which then rose into the air and pushed into the cloud. The sand began to fall all at once, but instead of landing and coating the hills it simply ceased to exist. And then the true horror was revealed to them.

Dozens of rotting humans were skewered through jagged iron poles in the ground. Each bore the mark of a different dark guild, and the few faces still recognizable were wanted guild leaders from the underground circles.

Several of the knights recoiled and hurled the contents of their stomachs to the ground. There was a pattern to the effigies. From atop a hill a distance away one of the knights noticed that they were formed in the outline of a demon's face.

* * *

Natsu sat up in his bed. Across the room a familiar and unwelcome figure sat in a rickety wooden chair.

"What are you doing here, Zeref?"

"Do not be so aggressive, Natsu. You are about to enter into years of strife and suffering. One test after another will come your way. Make sure I'm one of them. When the time is right, and you'll know when, I'll be waiting in Alvarez. You can finally give me what I desire, and I to you."

And Zeref stood up, backing into the shadows. And then he was gone. Natsu slumped back and stared up at the ceiling. He hoped someday the world would be peaceful, and he could adventure to his heart's' content. But for now, he had to change.


	18. Chapter 18- The Declaration

**Chapter 18- The Declaration**

"It'll be an all out war. This is unprecedented!"

"The Baram Alliance kept them stable, at least. But imagine the collateral damage of two Dark Guilds of their caliber battling it out!"

"We don't know enough about either guild to formulate a proper response."

"We do know one thing. The unknown aggressor is puppeting Manticore Stinger and channeling their recent activity through the known guild. Perhaps sending a guild or two after them could shine some light on the situation?"

"Indeed, a wise choice. We have too many internal issues, the chiefest being the troubling escape of the Oracion Seis members."

"Notify the strongest current guilds. Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus and Kraken Maw."

"I can notify the first three, but I doubt Ne'e will cooperate in anything that doesn't involve the sea."

"Unfortunate. Very well. Initiate contact with the guilds. The sooner we learn who's behind this, the sooner we can put a stop to it."

"Are we even sure Tartaros will respond violently? They have yet to prove their capability of doing anything, much less combat a guild that's eating away at all of their tributaries."

"Some wasp nests are very thick, but enough damage and the swarm will be stirred. I'd rather not play with luck."

"Agreed. Keep this quiet for as long as possible. Send an agent with the guilds, they'll think they're only destroying the guild, and that way will not have any reason to learn about the deeper issues."

"Perfect. I believe that's everything, meeting adjourned."

And with that the lights faded on the magic council meeting ended. Dark times were on the horizon. Very dark times indeed.

* * *

"Alright everyone. We've gotten a request from the magic council!" The crowd groaned and sighed as Natsu stood on the stage. "I know, it sounds bad. And it's worse. There's a Dark Guild, Manticore Stinger, that's been making moves. Once again a combined force of lawful mages from us, Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus are going to team up to take them down. It's highly dangerous, so I'm going to ask for volunteers."

Natsu glanced through the hall but knew that there would be no volunteers. It wasn't something anyone would readily risk their lives to do, with the exception of old Team Natsu. But to his surprise one pale hand shot up.

"Alzack and I will go." Bisca announced. The room collectively turned to them in shock, but what shocked Natsu was the commitment in both of their eyes. It reminded him of Erza.

"I-I'll go too!" Shouted Kinana from behind the bar.

"If those idiots are all going, they'll need someone who doesn't spend twenty-four hours with her lips on Alzack's dick!" Lia declared, standing up. Alzack thrust his head into his arms and tried to hide his embarrassment.

"Alright, you four will go. Last call, anymore volunteers?" The room was quiet and slowly one more person stood up.

"I'd like to start my time with Fairy Tail right. I'll go as well," Kagura stated matter-of-factly.

"Alright. Is that it?" There was silence for a few moments, which decided it in Natsu's mind. "Perfect, you're to meet at the edge of the desert, in Sable, by nightfall. Get packing!"

The five Fairy Tail wizards of Team Bisca marched out of the doors of the guild hall to their respective dwellings, each preparing mentally for what was going to occur next. Natsu watched them exit and took a seat at the bar. He was proud of them all. Just mustering the courage to volunteer was an ordeal in and of itself.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Warren asked from beside Natsu. The guild master sighed and sipped an ale.

"Well, I've never heard of Manticore Stinger. I don't know a lot about Dark Guilds, but I did know about the Baram Alliance and Tartaros still being out there. So if my assumptions about the weakness of Manticore Stinger are correct, then yes, they'll be fine. Besides, Bisca is an S class wizard."

"That's true. How do you feel, by the way?" Natsu raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Warren. The mage chuckled and looked up at the ceiling's cross bracing.

"This kinda shit was your forte, Natsu. You haven't gone on a job in a year, the last time you had a real fight was against Ragnar. The stakes just seem low for you, and as much as I'd like to say that's a good thing, is that really the kind of environment that's right for you?"

"That was me then. We live in a different world now. I used to get antsy and feel like I was always cooped up. It's easier now though. Besides, I can always go back to it when Makarov comes back."

"What if the old man uses it as an excuse to retire?"

Natsu and Warren shared a hearty laugh at that. They both knew laughter was the best medicine for the woes that'd been thrown Fairy Tail's way.

"Do you think Jenny is going to go this mission?" Warren asked. The salamander shook his head.

"She didn't fight Oracion Seis, I don't see why she would now. She's insanely powerful, but doesn't really fight. She's always modeling, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. You two sure seem like you're too busy for each other, though."

Natsu looked at Warren in surprise then back to his mug. It was true, but he liked Jenny a lot, so it didn't bug him. But he hadn't thought of it like that before.

"Shit, sorry. Don't let me be the one to sew the seeds of… I guess weeds or something I'm not great at analogies." Warren got off his barstool and put a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "I know I'm not wise or older than you, but you're doing a phenomenal job at everything. You give everyone hope, so never doubt yourself." And then Warren went back out into the multitude of wizards. Natsu looked into the bubbling gold liquid in his tankard and blew a flame into it.

* * *

"We're doing it. Something that the old crew would have done." Alzack said to himself as he filled his knapsack with rations and extra clothes. At the other end of the room Bisca was doing last minute maintenance on her guns.

"Alzack, will they be proud of us when they get back?" The room was silent briefly. Alzack mulled it over in his head, picturing the smiling faces of those who'd been lost.

"I think gramps will be. But you know what?" Bisca looked from her rifle to her partner. "Even if they are, I don't think we need to be worrying about that. I mean, we'll probably be older than them.I don't care about any of that kind of shit, I just want to see them all again. Gray stripping, Erza eating cake, the exceeds being cute. Shit I didn't used to think I would." Bisca bit her lower lip as the familiar faces passed through her mind as well.

"It'll change though, at least a little. Natsu and Gray won't be getting all in each other's business anymore."

"Yeah, but since Natsu's the new guildmaster Gray will probably try to outdo him somehow," Alzack laughed. The two shared a chuckle before the mood soured and returned to being somber.

A pause ensued as they packed, each wondering in the back of their minds if this would be their last mission. Alzack had more cause to be nervous, the memories of the guardsmen dying at the hands of the Wolf Pack came back unbidden. Would he be sliced to pieces like that? He didn't have any other significant interactions with Dark Guilds, this was new and intimidating to think about.

Bisca didn't care. She looked at the butt of the rifle and the small notches on it. If it came to it, she would take another. Her face broke into a smirk. It was crazy to her, nineteen and already a killer. But harsh times bred harsh humans.

"I'm thinking of cutting my hair." Alzack stated. Bisca looked back up again with a smile. She could picture it.

"When we get back, you should. You'd look hot with short hair." Alzack frowned. "Well, hotter," Bisca corrected herself. Alzack put his poncho by his side and stood up, approaching Bisca. She mirrored him and the two embraced in the center of the room.

"Are you afraid?" Bisca asked. Alzack didn't say a word but she could tell by the tightness of his muscles and his heartbeat that he was. "Baby, I promise that we're gonna go out there and make the world safer. And we're gonna make Natsu, not the Tenrou group, proud. And then you'll come back, get a haircut, and business as usual." She grabbed his cheeks and the two looked deep into each other's eyes.

"I love you," Alzack breathed. The two leaned in and kissed. It started slow and amorous, but it turned more desperate and wild. Their tongues lashed out at each other and their hands roved. Robes fell and flew in all directions. The two wound up on the bed with Bisca, as was typical in their relationship, planted firmly on Alzack's cock riding like the wild west. Her hair and chest bounced as the two made love, both wondering in the bleakest pits in the back of their minds if this would be the last time. And they gave it the energy as if it was. One hand on Alzack's chest for balance, the other on her nether region, Bisca was making herself sweat with effort. And Alzack was trying too. His hands clutched her alabaster hips as he rhythmically thrust into his beautiful girlfriend.

In the alley below their apartment a small cat looked up as a yelp came from a slightly ajar window. But the animal paid very little mind to the noise and continued on its merry way.

It was a fair while later back up in the room. Both had showered and cleaned themselves off, and were now fully packed.

"We can do it again when we get back, clear heads until then," Bisca reminded her lover. Alzack nodded and hoisted the luggage over his shoulder. The two kissed briefly and headed out the doors.

"So, how many times did you two fuck? Once, twice, over ten times?" Lia asked as the two made their way to the street. Lia was wearing her typical combat clothes, which were lined in pieces of metal, but Kagura and Kinana looked very much normal.

Bisca and Alzack kindly ignored Lia's question.

"So, everyone ready to head out?" Kagura asked. The group all agreed and went on their way to the train station, where one last member of Fairy Tail was waiting for them. Natsu stood by the entryway to their cart with his arms crossed and a devilish smile on his face.

"Okay everyone. You're gonna go out there and kick ass, take names, and come back in one piece. Sound like a plan?"

They cheered and Natsu nodded his head. The conductor came out and gestured for the mages to board, and Natsu patted each on the shoulder as they made their way up the ramp. As the cart pulled away from the station, and the faces of his guildmates sank further into the distance, the Fourth Master raised and arm and gave his friends the guild sign. He knew they'd make it back to him. He was certain. He spun on his heel and strode out of the station back into the streets of Magnolia. He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't a tinge jealous. Perhaps Warren had been right.

Natsu yawned and stretched his arms over his head. Either way, he hoped to see Jenny again this week. And he had to catch up on paperwork. There was never a break for a busy guild master. He looked up into the sun with a beaming smile.

Everything was looking bright.

 **A Day Later, the Outskirts of Sable**

The sun beat down with incessant heat. The air rippled under its gaze. The haze was palpable, and everything was dry. The earth was cracked and brown, dead and dry like some sort of mummified corpse. Across the flat expanse it was monotonous, only broken by the rare placement of a lonely stone.

And at the edge of it all rose mountains of shifting gold. The dunes formed a wall, over which all that could be seen was the cloud of a distant sandstorm. This was base camp. Several large tents gave refuge from the oppressive light. Christina was parked close by, and inside the largest tent was a huge table upon which sat a topographical map of the region. Around this table stood the various members of the operation. Some faces were familiar. Ichiya and his Trimens. Team Lyon and Jura of Lamia Scale. The members of Fairy Tail. But in the center was the man in charge.

He was as big as Jura. His muscles rippled beneath his cloth cloak and a white turban sat wrapped around his head. His skin was dark and a black beard was neatly kept across his chin.

"Alright, everyone, my name is Almaerifuh. I am the representative of the council. You may refer to me as Alm. Let me explain to you the plan." His voice was deeply accented, but sharp and concise. He pointed at the map, and in the western region to a cluster of mountains. "The guild Manticore Stinger bases here. We do not know which mountain, only that in this particular circle it is located. The sandstorms make air travel impossible into the region impossible, unfortunately, so we must travel in on foot. The camels are reliable and strong, and can travel fast. We do not, however, know what sort of defensive capabilities they may employ to deter us from crossing into the desert. We set out at midnight tonight, it will be the coolest at that time and the easiest to travel. If you must rest, do so now. And if you have any questions, please ask."

Alm finished his speech and his eyes scanned across the faces around the table. Everything seemed very much cut and dry, and nobody asked any questions. The group dispersed out into base camp, and people went their separate directions.

Bisca and Alzack headed to their tent so they could get some last minute sleep, an action that Lia personally found extremely boring.

"You think they're gonna fuck, or actually sleep?" Lia asked as she sipped an iced drink. Kagura and Kinana sat on either side of her.

"I think that's a completely inappropriate thing to think about," Kagura responded disdainfully. Kinana blushed and looked away from Lia as well, who huffed in annoyance.

"You two are prudes, especially you, Kagura. You're like my age, grow up. I'm gonna go flirt with Hibiki, you two enjoy your prude ice cream without me."

And with that Lia stomped out of the shade of one of the overhangs and trotted across the dirt to where the Trimens were sitting and socializing.

"Don't mind her, she seems really rude but she's just lonely and scared at heart," Kinana assured Kagura. "Come to think of it, we all are. I'm a snake who doesn't have family, Lia's whole family died in an attack, and the rest of the guild is pretty much the same."

Kagura nodded her head, thinking quietly that the snake part was some sort of exaggeration.

"You're all just like me…" Kinana smiled and put her hand on Kagura's. The two looked at each other and Kagura felt a warmth build inside her. Was this perhaps the feeling of belonging? She looked out to the sand dunes.

"I'm going to need to change my clothes before later, this uniform isn't suited for this level of heat…" Kagura pulled at her clothes which were already sticking to her in perspiration. "Well, I'm going to try to sleep a little before the big mission." Kagura stood up and slowly made her way towards her tent, sighing heavily. Kinana watched her new friend sink into the canvas hut and turned her attention to Lia, who was flirting with Hibiki. The other Trimens had separated to get some shut eye. Kinana decided that sleep was the best plan for her as well.

* * *

"They've landed on the outskirts of the desert. I'm sure they'll try to enter at nightfall, it's what they would think is the safest," the leader of Manticore Stinger told to Monte, who sat with a bottle of liquor in one hand and drumstick in the other.

"It won't be an issue. We gave you the four-wheelers, and the book. Your wizards can use those. It'll all be A-okay, Brass." Brass, the guild master, smirked and looked away.

"They're sending a collective of three guilds, the ones who took down Oracion Seis. Well, not the Fairy Tail ones."

"As long as they don't have Natsu Dragneel or any other random assortment of guild masters, I think we'll be fine. Besides, you've been wanting to fight Jura, right?"

Brass grinned and cracked his knuckles. Huge bolts of metal protruded from his skin across his fists.

"We'll wipe them off the face of the earth. The sand forgets corpses fast, and so do I."


	19. Chapter 19- The Sands

**Chapter 19- The Sands**

To call it hot was an understatement. Even without the light of the sun the air was dry and hot, and the breeze didn't help. It simply grated aerial sand across the exposed skin of the mages atop their camels. Nearly everyone was wearing something different than their usual garb. With the exception of Alzack and Alm, who wore their regular clothes. Bisca had switched to an open red jacket beneath which was a green tube top, and red shorts. Her red stetson kept the sun out of her eyes as the camel strode.

Kinana was garbed in a light romper. Lia wore her combat clothing as usual but her head was wrapped in a towel. The trimens were all shirtless, including Ichiya to the rest of the companies misfortune. Lyon and Sherry had clothes similar to Alm, and Kagura was wearing a white camisole and just her leggings.

The dunes were huge, some rising to the full height of mountains. In the dark sky the shadows of an enormous smattering of peaks rose past the dunes and into the starry sky, letting the mages know that they were in fact on the correct path. The san sifted in the breeze every so often, forming a layer of rushing water-like yellow beneath the hooves of the camels.

It was amidst the silence and loneliness of the night that the first alien noise was heard. The sound of an explosion, and then the roar of something mechanical. It was isolated, but the entire caravan of mercenaries stopped in their tracks. Alm looked about nervously, and suddenly a cacophony of these noises flared up all around them.

Lights sprung up in the distance, each dune crowned with a wreath of flashing red and white spears that shone and illuminated the group.

"Run!" Alm bellowed, kicking into his camel. The animal propelled forward in a panic and the rest of the beasts followed, sprinting down the side of the sandy hill. They could make out the roar of an engine, then many, behind them. Crashing down the the hill careened several magic four wheelers, assembled from old metal and scrap.

The first one lost its balance and flipped over, landing with a thud before exploding in the sand. The other vehicles landed with more success, and each had an open back where a wizard with goggles flung projectile magic at the invaders. The camels were fast but the gap was closing between the riders and them very quickly.

A lance of fire breezed by Lyon, scathing the edges of his skin as it passed. He grunted and threw a hand toward the ground, coating it in a narrow sheet of ice. The trucks lost their grip and spun out, knocking into each other and crashing to a stop.

"Great job, Lyon!" Jura exclaimed. There was no respite though, as another formation of vehicles descended down the side of a dune. There were more this time, and the vehicles were much larger.

At the back of the cloud being kicked up by the spinning wheels was the most monstrous of the metal beasts. It sat upon thick treads and crawled across the sand slowly, billowing black smoke from behind. Sitting inside a cupola was a man wearing a purple mask clutching a huge and tattered book.

Alm's eyes widened. The book glowed with energy as the man opened it, and the whole desert began to throb and quake.

"Alm, what is that?!" Hibiki questioned. The camels ceased, as did all of the vehicles. Slowly, from the ground, a huge black fin began to rise.

"I-it's… It's one of Zeref's demons..." The dark mages in the backs of the trucks whooped and called out furiously in excitement as the fin spun several times, landing to aim at the line of camels. "We need to run!"

The animals bolted again, instilled with a new vigour of fear. The fin surged forward, followed closely by the vehicles, who overtook it. A dark mage in one of the truck beds flung a combustion spell in the center of the lawful alliance, and Alm peeled off to the left with Lyon and Sherry to dodge the attack.

But a motorbike rushed into the gap and fired shots from a pistol, trying to knock Jura off. A stone column shot from the ground and the bike crumpled tossing off the rider. The group watched as the distance between them and Lyon's trio grow, but there was nothing they could do. A cohort of the trucks ducked away from their main formation as well, moving to chase the new separate camels.

Seeing that the group was already fairly split, and splitting it more was possibly better for their survival, Bisca veered off with Alzack in tow. Jura grimaced and followed them. He didn't want to fragment the group so, but he knew that of all the wizards Bisca and Alzack had the best chance of accomplishing their mission. Several motorbikes and trucks accelerated behind them, gaining ground.

In the ever smaller main group, another shell landed in the sand. Ichiya's eyes widened as he stared down at it, before it exploded into power and knocked him off of his camel. He hit the sand hard, his hair ruined and grains of the desert entering his mouth. As his vision readjusted he saw that the rest of his Trimens and Lia had been unmounted as well. Kinana and Kagura rode off into the distance, with the rest of the riders following. But even with all of the bikes and trucks gone, there was still one remaining foe. A black fin jutted out of the sand directly in front of the Blue Pegasus and Lia group. Behind it the iron behemoth chugged and came to a halt.

The sand shook and quaked as a huge black claw erupted from the churning sand shards. It was pulsating with purple energy, and the skin along it rippled and tensed. A second claw on the other side of the fin ascended, and both hands gripped the ground. And then the demon hoisted the rest of its disgusting body into the air. It had no face, just a gaping maw of teeth and acidic saliva. There was carapace along it's back, but where there wasn't the black shell there was purple skin tightening and ripping.

"Behold!" Decreed the masked man in the cupola of the land ironclad. "A demon from the Books of Zeref!"

* * *

The bag swayed and recoiled as each flaming fist smashed into it. Every few hits was punctuated with a kick or elbow wreathed in the orange glow of Natsu's fire. He stepped back and wiped the sweat from his brow, downing a bottle of water quickly. His workout was done, now it was back to paperwork.

He turned around and noticed in the doorway of the gym a petite figure was watching him intently.

"Oh, didn't notice you there, Romeo. You need anything?"

The young boy looked at his idol with wide eyes and shuffled nervously.

"Well, I've been thinking. You've been here at the guild for a long time, and you don't go out and do as much these days…"

Natsu pursed his lips, slightly taken aback. It was a direction he didn't expect the small Conbolt to go, and of course he questioned the direction this was headed.

"We don't really have a person, right? Like… Fairy Tail doesn't have a figurehead mage who goes out and always wins?"

"Romeo. I think I know where this is going. Firstly, I think having a wizard who goes and brute forces all the problems that come his way is necessary. Violence is seldom the answer. I mean, remember the South side gang? We almost turned the whole city against us. Besides, Bisca and Alzack are super strong. We have tons of mages who are fine for when the situation demands action. I'm not trying to tell you to not aspire to greatness, but the old me is a relic, and we don't need that in this guild anymore."

Romeo bit his lower lip in disbelief. How could Natsu, _the Natsu Dragneel_ , his idol, be saying this to him? For years he had aspired to be exactly like the Salamander, and now here he was.

"W-well… Can you train me to be strong?" Romeo asked nervously. Natsu sighed and crouched down, eye level with Romeo. He set one hand gently on the boys shoulder.

"I'm sorry Romeo, but I don't have that kind of time. I would love to, and I encourage it, but I can't be the one to do it. Go out in the city, I'm sure you'll find someone who has the potential to show you what you can do. But I can't."

Natsu removed his hand and stood back up. He gave Romeo one last reassuring smile and walked back into the guild hall. Romeo was as still as a statue, his mind racing for answers. It didn't add up. The boy knew that the master had been thrust into an alien position, but why and how did he have to change so fast? Natsu was a different person entirely. Romeo needed answers, and there was only one person he could get them from.

* * *

An iron harpoon pierced the hairy flesh of the camel's leg and the animal dropped in a wail of agony. Kagura yelped and was flung into the sand. An explosion ripped into Kinana's mount and the smaller girl was knocked into the air along with the bone fragments and blood splatter. She hit the sand beside Kagura and the two laid in a daze.

The vehicles spun in a circle around the two, kicking up clouds of dust as the riders inside whooped and cheered.

"Should we make 'em run?!"

"Nah! Why spoil the meat before we use it?!"

"The purple hair one doesn't look like much…"

"Pussy is pussy, lugnut!"

Kagura dug her hands into the sand and pushed up, her vision fading in and out of focus. It was all blurry.

"That one's got some tits on her!"

The cars all slowed to a halt, sitting in a ring around the Fairy Tail mages. Slowly, the armored savages unloaded from the truck beds and out of the cars, glaring down at the two. Kagura gritted her teeth and suddenly the riders felt like there was extra weight on them. They glanced around in angry confusion, unsure of what was happening.

The swordswoman got to her feet and raised the wrapped weapon. Several of the riders reached for maces and axes, but all were too slow in comparison. The weapon struck out knocking the first row of attackers back into their vehicles forcefully. Behind Kagura, Kinana got to her feet and the purple glow of her venom spread across her arms.

"Fuck, they aren't down!" One rider called. "Should we kill 'em?!"

"That won't be necessary…" Came a quieter voice. Out of the back on the largest truck, a vast war-rig with eighteen wheels, a slender figure hopped into the sand. Her silver hair swayed as she moved, and a black bodysuit covered her small frame. A reflective, mirror-like visor covered her entire face.

"I can beat them, and leave them alive for you brutes to use as you please…" The riders began to cheer and hoist their weapons in the air, though the action was a struggle.

"Yeah, Mirage!" Kagura glared at the newcomer, who seemed to move unimpeded through her heightened gravity field. Mirage put a hand on her hip, and suddenly dozens of identical mirages split from her sides and spread out in a ring around the two lawful wizards.

"You pour girls… Don't worry, I'll be more gentle than my boys will be when I'm done…" Each Mirage clone raised their arms over their heads and cracked their knuckles. The sky suddenly changed color to a harsh and hectic rainbow, and the riders and desert became invisible.

"What's happening?!" Kinana asked Kagura in fear. The older girl looked from the venom mage to Mirage in equal confusion. She gripped the handle of her sword tightly and glared at the Mirage dummies around her.

"I don't know, but we'll win!" The two Fairy Tail members stood back to back and held their weapons in front of them, ready to do battle.

* * *

Romeo took a seat at the table with his pops and Wakaba. The two were difficult to tolerate together, but individually they were nice men. But when they were in the same place their energies bounced off each other and got bigger and more obnoxious, which of course was what everyone else in the guild saw.

"Hey Dad, I have a question…" Macao looked at his son and the raucous merrymaking he was participating in with the smoke wizard faded. Wakaba, who incorrectly assumed the conversation would be deep and/ or awkward, excused himself.

"So, what's on your mind?" Macao asked. He and his son had already had a plethora of talks, the most recent one being the birds and the bees. Unfortunately hearing Lia talk about Alzack's cock, and just Romeo noticing the way Bisca and the gunslinger interacted had spurred that one. But it made him more comfortable to start covering other tough subjects with his son.

"Before we lost everyone at Tenrou, Natsu was like _the guy_. You know, he was the guy that went out and did the tough jobs, beat the big bad guys, and was super cool. Now he's kinda just… He's a paper pusher."

Macao chuckled and looked into the tankard of ale before him. Romeo looked up at his father, who forlornly looked back at his son.

"I'll tell you, when you're young it seems so easy. Fight, win, those things. There's no rent, bills, familial responsibility, needing to be a caretaker. Hell, those things are all full time jobs. It's why Makarov never left the hall, basically. And you know, Natsu hasn't always been _the guy_." Macao made air quotes to punctuate the guy. Romeo was bewildered.

"Wait, before Natsu was there someone else?" Macao nodded. He took a sip of his ale and set the mug back down.

"Gildarts. Gildarts was _the guy_. Massive guy, massive magic. There wasn't anything he couldn't do. He did S class jobs like they were nothing, and then he started doing ten year jobs. But even those weren't enough. He got all the girls, made hella money, but he didn't live lavish. The pursuit of strength was his passion, I suspect. He and Natsu were best friends. But he left on a hundred year quest. He failed at that, then went to Tenrou."

"Has Fairy Tail always had a figure like that?" Romeo asked. Macao simply shrugged in response. He pondered for a minute, then formulated a real answer.

"Well, I haven't been around that long. But that's probably it. Makarov might've been in his prime. I'm sure there's always been." Romeo's eyes were wide with excitement. Macao noticed this and made a comment.

"Looks like you've got an idea…"

"That's gonna be me! I'm gonna be that! I'll be _the guy_ and be super strong and be the one who can do everything!" Macao smiled wide.

"You do that, son. The world is your oyster, and you can make it whatever you want. You just have to get out there and do it. In fact, I think I've met someone who can train you…"

* * *

They had been dismounted. And now the three of them stood as the headlights of the trucks were closing in, turning from large circles to vast swathes of light. Lyon grunted and raised a sheet of ice between them. Alm stepped forward and traced lines in the air.

"Desert Script: Wall!" And as the words formed in the air a huge wall of sandstone rose around them as well, creating a defensive barrier. "Now, I suggest we run," Alm stated.

Suddenly the sand beneath them tumbled into a cone shape, tossing all of them down the sides. Lyon and Sherry gripped each others hands and tried to slow their descent, while Alm wrote the script for fire. The ball of fire launched into the black pit at the center of the cone, and a shrill shriek came from inside. A figure vaulted out of the cone and into the air, translucent wings flapping as it pushed the fire off of itself.

The walls were smashed and the trucks created a defensive square around the cone, which was now filling back up and leveling the desert to its original state. The riders in the rucks began to chant as the insectoid fluttered to the ground. The carapace and shell faded, leaving a huge and armored man standing before the coalition of good.

"Gettem bug!" Many voices began to cry. They looked intently at the large man, whose face broke into a smile as green drool seeped into the sand from the corner of his mouth. He started to click and tremble, before his body rippled and the takeover magic he employed shifted his shape into a strange desert looking praying mantis. Which then became cloaked in some sort of natural camouflage. Several of the riders extracted their weapons and charged forward as well, while many behind them cried to spare the girl. Sherry contorted the sand into a golem, Lyon's hands glowed with icy power, and Alm held his hands high to summon script. The battle had begun.

Meanwhile, much further along in the desert, three wizards stood amidst the fiery wreckage of a convoy of vehicles. A rider swung his axe at Alzack, who downed him with one easy shot. Jura flung a stone column into the last truck that was charging in his direction, catapulting it across the sand to where it landed in a fireball of destruction. Bisca slid a new drum into her Thompson, eyeing the landscape.

"I think we're closing in on the mountain," Bisca announced as she glanced through a pair of binoculars. The large iron gates built into the mountainside loomed menacingly.

But her vision of the doors were obscured. Two horses rose to the peak of a sand dune and slowly trotted down to the scrap heap the lawful mages had created. Atop each horse sat a man wearing a large bandana and stetson. One wore a poncho like Alzack, that obscured his arms, and two red goggles glowed beneath the brim of his hat. The other had a long trench coat and a strange red glow emanated on his skin.

"Who are you?!" Jura yelled when they were in ear range. Neither responded, they simply hopped off their horses and stood at the end of the small valley. Alzack and Bisca glanced at each other and their hands twitched by their guns. "I'll ask again, who are you?! If you don't respond, I assume you're the enemy!"

The first man pulled his bandana off and let it fall to the ground.

"We're the Lin Brothers, and we're here to stop you from getting any closer to the base! Now, this can go one of two ways… Either y'all turn around and skidaddle right outta this here desert- or…" There was a brief silence, but the three did not turn around. "Or…" And both brothers reached and drew their guns, pumping rounds into Jura, Bisca and Alzack.

* * *

"I'm going to see Jenny, I'll be back in tomorrow night, or the morning after that. Depends on whether or not I feel like getting on a train that late," Natsu sighed as he downed a mug of brandy. Nab nodded beside him as the two lounged at the bar. Natsu turned and looked over his other shoulder, where Macao was sitting.

"Just make sure nothing wild happens when I gone, all the paperwork is taken care of so just keep everything normal I guess," Natsu said. Macao nodded.

"Have fun with Jenny," the father chuckled. Natsu smiled and hopped off his bench, striding down to grab some overnight stuff from his office. Macao glanced over and spotted his son.

"Hey, Romeo!" He called. The boy made his way over, and Macao smiled. "Come with me, we're gonna go meet someone." The two took off into town, moving through the lively streets of Magnolia. They turned down a smaller side street and into a warehouse, where a chalkboard and chair were sitting in the middle of the empty space.

"Hey, where are you?' Macao asked into the air. From behind a column a man dressed in red with a silver streak in his hair stepped into the light.

"So, young Romeo. I'm Totomaru and I'm gonna teach you about fire."


	20. Chapter 20- Sifting Sands

**Chapter 20- Sifting Sands**

The bullets soared overhead as Jura held himself behind one of the overturned trucks. Alzack and Bisca were trading mad gunfire with the Lin brothers, each of the gun mages shooting nonstop.

Bisca stuck herself over her cover and fired a barrage of suppressing fire into the covered position of one of her two opponents, giving Alzack a window to roll through to a closer wreck. As he dove into the sand the brother with the red goggles raised one of his metal arms and fired his oversized pistol, a red bolt grazing Alzack's leg. Blood spilled into the sand and Alzack roared in pain.

Bisca tried to refocus of the goggle brother but the dual wielding counterpart sprinted forward and raised both weapons, pummeling her in a flurry light piercing rounds that shredded the sheet metal of the truck. Bisca ducked but several light bolts struck her, searing her skin and ripping holes in her clothing.

A stone column ripped out of the sand but this brother, Luc, dashed out of the way closely. He fired a shot with one pistol and twisted his torso, firing his second pistol at Alzack who was attempting to counter attack. Each bolt of light hit its target and knocked them back, leaving Luc unscathed as he hit the sand and rolled over his shoulder.

Behind Luc his brother, Shin, strapped a longer barrel onto his already enormous pistol and braced the makeshift rifle against a piece of metal. He pulled the trigger and an enormous shell flew into Jura, exploding upon impact.

Luckily the saint had erected a wall of stone in the nick of time, saving himself from the most of the damage. A second round fired but this time Jura was more prepared. He used his left hand to toss a block at Luc who was forced into another roll, and with his right hand a line of stone slabs rippled through the air towards Shin.

The round hit the stone in the air and the attacks nullified each other, exploding into shards of dust and pebbles. Bisca aimed her rifle and fired at Shin, who had predicted this offense and blocked each individual bullet with his iron forearm. He then rolled the gun and detached the barrel, regressing to its pistol form, before he pumped another four shots towards Bisca.

Alzack palmed the hammer of his revolver but Luc dodged his shots with ease, returning fire as he rolled through the air. The Fairy Tail wizard ducked into cover and evaded the attack, but this battle was seeming more and more bleak to him. The only ones who were being whittled away at were the good guys.

He grunted and ripped a piece of his poncho, tying the cloth around his bleeding leg. He cursed the slowness of his revolver. It had served him well, but it was so hard to fire quickly in moments like these. Suddenly Jura dover over the metal beside Alzack, covering his head in his hands as more bolts of light zoomed over them.

"We're getting fucked over here!" Jura shouted. Alzack gritted his teeth and glanced over at Bisca's position.

"Alzack, I'm gonna suppress them, or flush them. Either way. Jura, keep them off me, babe, you gotta finish them." Alzack frowned but figured he understood. Bisca requipped to her newest toy, a huge minigun. The barrels spun and she stood up. Jura did as well, and Alzack ran sideways out of the cover.

A cloud of bullets ripped into the air as casings were tossed at Bisca's feet, churning the ground into clouds of sand. Shin and Luc both sprinted for cover, but not before Shin let off a round in Bisca's direction. Her eyes widened as it soared into her, but a quick wall of rock formed and defended her. Alzack only had time to get in one shot, but an explosive round hit Luc in the back.

The dark mage screamed and rolled forward into cover, but the reddening sand told Alzack that his shot had been effective. Bisca dropped her minigun and the purple laser-rifle appeared in her hands. She braced it against the wall and aimed it at the thin upturned car that both of the brothers were behind.

The gun glowed with power, and Jura's eyes widened. She was going to kill them. He flung himself forward and tossed a column of rock between the laser and car, tackling her to the ground. She grunted and dropped her gun before it could fire.

"What are you doing!" Bisca shrieked. Shin stood up and aimed his pistol, but Alzack shot first. The lightning round hit Shin and crackled, shorting the cyborg and dropping him to the ground. Suddenly, over the car, a white flag was raised.

"We surrender!" Luc yelled. He came out from behind the car with Shin leaning on him for support. Jura shot a death glare at Bisca.

"Death is eternal, girl." There was a coldness in his voice. "It's not up to you to administer it." They walked to the Lin brothers and bound them, tying them to a metal pole jutting from the sand. Bisca was silent. Alzack stared at the blackened circles on her skin, then to the crimson cloth around his leg. They were in bad shape, but Jura was still fresh.

"We're getting close to their guild hall. But can we really do that much just the three of us, especially with us being wounded?" Alzack asked.

"There ain't many of them left in there," Luc stated. All three of the coalition members looked down at the brothers in disbelief.

"And how can we trust you?" Bisca sneered. Luc coughed heavily and then looked at Shin.

"Manticore Stinger ain't the same. We was mindin' our own damn business when a blondie from someplace much higher wiped the majority of us out, and the last of us got forced to go out and eat up smaller Dark Guilds. We ain't nothin' but the bitches of a motherfucker we ain't even seen before." Shin spat in the ground afterwards. "So, there'll only be a few left in there. Most of the guild is out trying to finish the rest of you off. The master, the blondie, and a few more disposable varmints is in the base. Go fuck them up."

* * *

He hated trains. He hated transportation. But god did he hate trains. It would be a more passive dislike, but trains were a necessity in his current life. Walking places was no longer viable, after what happened a year ago with the Wolf Pack. So here he was, sitting on a bench in Beaute, the city of Blue Pegasus. His head spun and his stomach was weak, but he knew he just needed a few minutes.

Natsu tried to take in the surroundings to distract himself. Beaute was definitely picturesque. It sat in the middle of wine country, wreathed by grapevines and rolling hills of golden grass. The buildings were all white and pastel, decorated in blossoming flowers and green ivy. There was a boutique and bakery on every corner, and fountains sprung up in every square to let their water bubble in cerulean splendour. It was a town that suited Jenny.

Feeling a little better, Natsu got to his feet and made his way down the marble sidewalk. Off in the distance rose the headquarters of Blue Pegasus, where Natsu was going to meet Jenny. The thought of seeing her again brought a smile to his face. He pushed open the doors to the guild hall and entered. Everyone was merry, socializing and talking. Reporters hung around and snapped photos of more notable personalities. It was quaint. Natsu glanced around and scanned the crowd, but couldn't spot the wild ponytail that was a dead giveaway of his girlfriend. He stood puzzled and decided to approach Bob at the bar.

"Oh, Natsu! Welcome!" Natsu smiled and leaned against the wood.

"Hey, Bob. Where's Jenny?" Bob kept a smile plastered on his face but Natsu sensed something off.

"Oh… She said a photoshoot came up unexpectedly, and that she was sorry. Perhaps another time?" Natsu felt the energy drain from him. Bob saw it too. The light dimmed a bit.

"That's fine. Another time, yeah." Natsu waved and trudged out of the hall. It was a decent enough front. To a more untrained eye perhaps it wouldn't have been obvious. But Bob knew people. He frowned. Perhaps this distance was too great a toll on their young love.

Natsu didn't know why he felt this way. The sky seemed a little less blue and the people seemed a little less energetic. He had tethered his expectations and hopes on this, and now that the plan had fallen apart. It wasn't enough to bring him to tears, no way. Only the loss of the Tenrou group could have done that. But this was another kind of pain. Maybe Warren had been right. Maybe this was too much right now. Natsu knew that he liked Jenny. But maybe this wasn't meant to be. He looked into the sky and thoughts raced through his head.

And then he decided that he would suffer through another train ride home. It couldn't be as bad as this.

Boy was he wrong.

* * *

The grunts were easy. Small fry. Sherry's golem swept its hand over half a dozen of them, tossing them into the sky. Ice attacks flew in every direction and the sheet metal trucks collapsed beneath the blows. Alm's script flew through the riders as well, the attacks having a variety of elemental and conventional magic to them. It would've seemed one sided. But they couldn't get bug.

An ice serpent wound into the air but Bug dashed along its back with ease, vaulting off and towards Lyon. The defender created an ice ape as a barrier that pawed helplessly at the insectoid, who scythed through it with his mantis forearms. Shifting his weight, Bug then planted a foot in Lyon's head and Gray's rival spun backwards in shock. Sherry's golem slammed it's fist into bug, kicking up a storm of sand and dust. But when it cleared cracks ran through the fist of her construct and Bug sat in beetle form, his shell untouched by the attempt.

Two riders dove at Sherry with bats and clubbed her, cracking her knee and the other shattering her arm. Sherry screamed in pain and fell to the sand, her head throbbing in pain. Alm wrote the script for blade and the attackers were eviscerated where they stood. Lyon returned to his feet and clenched his fists. Bug loomed over him, a huge scorpion stinger hanging like an executioner's axe.

Lyon flung a hand forward and ice eagles shattered against Bug's natural armor. The chimera cackled and picked up the ice wizard by the neck in a pincer. He held him towards Alm and SHerry and began to squeeze. Small lacerations formed in Lyon's neck and blood spilled. Sherry couldn't even get to her feet, and Alm panicked. He couldn't hit Bug without hitting Lyon as well.

Suddenly a layer of ice encased Lyon, surrounding Bug's arm as well. Alm grinned, knowing he now had a clear shot. The script for blade flew into the air but with a screech Bug popped his own arm out of the socket and ducked for cover. Lyon, in his icy prison, fell to the ground and the casket shattered. The insect camouflaged himself and dipped away. Lyon got to his feet and quick froze his bleeding neck. The riders were all dead or out, it was just the three of them against bug now.

A golem formed from the old sheet metal of the broken down trucks scooped Sherry up and placed her in a protective seat, keeping her active in the fight as well. Now they just needed to figure out where Bug had gone. Across the sand a ways a black wave was moving towards the three. Lyon and Sherry had no clue what it was, but Alm's eyes widened.

"Swarm!" He then traced a script as fast as possible, casting a ring of fire around them. The wave of black drew nearer and Alm shook in fear.

"My fire won't be enough to keep the scarab swarm off of us!" He shouted. "We need to get out of here, and just make a run for their base!" Lyon nodded and created an ice dragon that scooped up Sherry's golem in its claws. The golem in turn held Lyon and Alm in each of its palms, and the crew of wounded wizards took to the skies.

"Fling me," Alm stated suddenly.

"What?!" Sherry yelled in confusion. "That's absurd, besides, we're stronger together!"

"I know!" Alm yelled back. "But I need to get to that base before anyone else does! The council needs me to confirm something. We need to know why this is happening!"

"I'm not going to do it!" Sherry bellowed. Suddenly a buzzing insect smacked into the head of the ice dragon and shattered it to pieces. The golem began to cannon downwards, and without hesitation Sherry tossed Alm towards the base with all of her might.

The machine hit the ground hard, leaving Sherry huffing amidst the wreckage. Bug landed in front of Lyon and began to cackle once again.

Behind them the Scarab swarm was once again approaching. Lyon grimaced and widened his feet.

"Let's do this thing, you freak."

The insect leapt into the air far above Lyon, posturing aggressively as it spun into the air. Lyon used one hand to create a surge of ice eagles and the other whipped up a snowstorm in the air. Bug sliced through the attack and landed with an X shaped slash, but Lyon had already rolled out of the way and an ice ape swung for Bug. The dark mage ducked beneath it and shattered Lyon's construct like it was cheap glass.

Lyon didn't know what to do, his ice was like butter to this thing. The talons were able to carve it like a pheasant roast. The sand sifted and Lyon's eyes widened in horror. The scarabs were back.

Bug snickered as the wave stopped right behind him. Lyon stood frozen, unsure of whether or not this would be the end of his life. In an instant, Bug's face went from maniacal and smug to confused and frustrated. He looked to the swarm, then to Lyon, making a clicking noise. The swarm didn't move.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lyon noticed motion, and he turned his head. Sherry hobbled to her broken feet and held out her palms. Lyon smiled wide. The scarabs rushed Bug, who tried in vain to leap back into the air. A rope of the bugs attached to him and brought him to the ground, swarming him. In seconds they made a new ring, leaving an exposed skeleton completely cleaned of any flesh in the sand. Lyon looked to Sherry, who collpased to the ground. The swarm then looked up at Lyon, who sighed. At least he could handle this, though. With a snap of his fingers an ice sheet encompassed them all, giving the ice mage the breather he so desperately needed. The next thing to do was to get to that base…

* * *

Kinana swung her fists in vain. Every Mirage she attacked faded into nothingness, and ever useless attack left her vulnerable. Kagura wasn't doing any better. Their senses were overstimulated and they couldn't make sense of what was happening.

A foot collided with Kinana's face and she staggered backwards, trying to spot which image had done it. Another appendage struck her in the back, and this continued for several moments.

Kagura saw this and rushed forward, but a roaring dragon circled out of the air and opened its vast mouth. She swung her blade in fear but the image evaporated, and then she was swept off her feet and a fury of blows were delivered by another Mirage.

Kinana tackled the silver haired woman, but her arms caught nothing. There was a vague blur between where Mirage was, and where the image went, but it didn't register in the mind of the snake girl.

All around them a ring of Mirages formed again, this time all laughing maniacally. Kinana felt tears bead in her eyes at the hopelessness of the situation. She wiped at them with her hands and as she did so Mirage saw it as an opportunity to mentally ware at her prey.

"So the little is crying? Poor baby…" Kinana grimaced and dropped her hands, as well as letting her second eyelids drop. Her vision became obscured, but the tears ceased. It was then that something odd occured. The images began to become blurrier, but outlines of yellows, reds and blues formed.

It was heat. The entire desert was hot, but the engines of the cars in a ring were glowing brightly, as well the riders standing on and in them. And then she spotted the only Mirage giving a heat signature.

"Kagura…" Kinana whispered. "I see the real one. When I start kicking her ass, the riders will intervene, cover me." before Kagura could even respond Kinana bolted. The girl flew across the sand and smashed through layers of illusion, delivering an acidic blow to Mirage's faceplate. The impact sent the woman flying backwards where she crumpled against a truck.

"Hey, they know! Get them!" the riders shouted. They clambered out of their trucks and charged. Mirage stood back up and took of the metallic faceplate, casting it aside. Her eyes shone with a pale silver, devoid of pupils or color.

"You little whore!" The two girls sprinted towards each other and Kinana swung wide, but Mirage slid beneath it and wrapped her arms around the younger girls' waist. Kinana fell to the ground hard and Mirage backflipped to regain more distance. Several riders bolted into the gap and swung their metal weapons down at Kinana, but she raised her arms and the axes and hammers melted against the heat. Using this brief window of respite the curse wielder regained her footing and spun, knocking the riders to the sand. She then let the molten slag that was covering her arms seep down over the prone men, who shrieked and wailed as the liquid burned through their skin and killed them. Mirage felt an emotion inside her, staring at this girl. This girl with purple hair, black eyes, and molten skin. It was nervousness.

Kinana's feet plowed through the sand and she was off again, her eyes set on the heat pattern of Mirage. The illusionist turned and ran, praying that this wouldn't be the end for her.

Behind this duel, Kagura observed the wave of enemies rushing towards her. She closed her eyes and they all hit the ground with a thump. Those that remained standing trudged on, grunting as they tried to close in on her. She snorted and swung the wrapped blade, knocking them all away in one slash. The rest stared up her with their eyes wide in fear. Kagura looked down upon her would be rapists coldly.

She wouldn't kill them, but perhaps more gravity would make them feel a bit of pain. It was only fair.

Mirage's heart was pounding in her ears. She was far now, much farther from the initial battle site than she wanted to be. And she heard the shuffling sand behind her, knowing that any moment the gap would close and it would be over. Then it happened. A huge weight struck her back. Mirage fell into the sand and her hair splayed out. Her mouth filled with the tiny grains and some even got in her eyes. She screamed as the punches smacked into the back of her head, and each attack pushed her face into the sand.

Kinana realized suddenly that she was killing Mirage. She ceased her strikes and got back up. There was a small pool of blood forming beneath Mirage's face, but luckily it was just the product of a broken nose. The girl turned and looked down the side of the dune to where Kagura stood. They had won, and now they needed to get back to the base that loomed in the far distance.

* * *

Alm wearily took his last footstep up the slope, standing proudly atop the dune. Below was a steep drop to the desert, where only a few minutes walk was the great doorway to the base. It seemed awfully undefended. He saw from the corner of his eyes another three figures bathed in the light of the rising sun. The wizard saint and the Fairy Tail members. He was surprised, but not displeased. He would need all of the help he could get. He traced the script for beacon in the air and it lit up, gaining the attention of his allies.

He carefully slid down the sifting sand on the dune and met with all three of them. Bisca and Alzack looked ravaged and tired, but Jura seemed fresh and fit. But they all looked at Alm angrily, which puzzled him.

"What are you hiding?" Jura interrogated. Alm took a nervous gulp and looked at the other two, who were gripping weapons.

"What do you mean?" The council lackey asked. He was confused, and afraid. Jura took a step forward and pointed at the iron doors.

"That is the guild hall of Manticore Stinger, but you must know that they're owned by a higher power." Alm quivered. He was shocked. He stuttered, unable to properly formulate words.

"I don't know. I don't. The council doesn't. That's why we're here, to take them down and figure out who's behind this. You weren't supposed to know, but you do now. It doesn't change the nature of the mission, and never did. We weren't hiding anything from you."

Jura cast a glance to the other two, who seemed suspicious but put at ease by the response. He smacked his dry lips and asked another question.

"Wait… Where are my guildmates? Weren't you with them?" Alm nodded in response.

"We were separated by a mage who used takeover magic. I have faith that they can beat him, I needed to get here as quickly as possible. If the enemy sees we're winning they'll most likely evacuate the higher up who runs this operation."

Jura stepped so close to Alm he could reach out and snap him. The saint stared down with a cold look on his face.

"If any harm befalls either of them, I hold you responsible. Hope for your sake that they come back in one piece." Alm gulped again and nodded slowly. The motley crew of four then turned their attention to the iron doorway.

"How do we open it?" Alzack asked. "If only we had Lia here…" The group pondered. It seemed too thick to blow open using explosion magic or one of Bisca's weapons. Jura shook his head and walked over to it, scanning the sides. There were no visible hinges on the outside, nothing to contort or manipulate. But then he had a wonderful idea. Groundbreaking. He stepped towards it, put a palm on it, and pushed. With a huge groan of iron scraping against stone, the door slid in a half circle revealing a dark expanse. Jura turned to look over his shoulder, and then he gestured for the group to follow.

The hall was dark. A few lonely lights hung on the wall and made small patches of illumination. Corpses laid along the walls in various states of decomposition, slain by various magics and weapons.

After several minutes of walking, the hall opened into a much larger chamber where the doors had been blown off. More corpses lined the walls, and in the center of the chamber a skeletal construct of metal laid in silence. On a platform far above, three silhouettes were wreathed in sunlight that poured through a small hole in the ceiling. One was blonde and shirtless. One was huge and muscular, with black hair and a large beard. And the last one was very much not human. More of his body was metal than human, and from his back metal tentacles writhed over lacrima that spun in the air.

"The process is not yet completed," The iron chimera rasped metallically. "I require several more minutes, we need time." The man with black hair threw himself over the railing and landed with a crack in the center of the chamber. He stood up and cast his cloak off his shoulders. His body was encased in a suit of armor which gleamed with the insignia of Manticore Stinger. This was the guild master.

"Jura Neekis… They call you iron. Perhaps now I can see how iron you are…" The blonde haired man up above yawned and looked down disdainfully.

"I'd rather not fight, but I know you can handle it on your own. I could take on more than four, so you better get this." The bearded man grunted and slid a foot across the stone, widening his stance and lowering his center of gravity closer to the floor.

"Come, children. Today is the end of your journey."

* * *

Lia flew backwards on her iron board and used several other pieces of metal to strike along the demon's side. As much damage as she and the Trimens did, the creature would simply heal up. Ichiya, who was buff in his super form, caught one of it's hands as it swung for Eve and grunted as he slid back.

"Men, we are having no effect!" He cried. Lia looked to the tank that trundled in the distance, and she puzzled at it as it spun on an axis and retreated away. The demon shrieked and suddenly turned into purple energy, forming a line in the sky that ran all the way to the tank where it re-entered the book.

"What the hell…" Lia breathed. The tank was heading back to the base, which must have meant something was up. But it definitely meant that they needed to go there, and they needed to go fast.

Little did they know they were in for the most horrific event of their lives so far.


	21. Chapter 21- The Scorpion

**Chapter 21- The Scorpion**

The guild master of Manticore Stinger cracked his knuckles then raised one hand in the direction of the coalition of good. They stood their ground, each staring at his palm intently. A line of jagged steel columns erupted from the floor and sped forwards. Jura grunted and erected a wall of stone, but the steel pierced it effortlessly and shot into the wizard saint, propelling him backwards against the cave wall.

"Iron rock Jura, you're but a pebble…" The Guild Master mumbled. Bisca, Alzack and Alm took aggressive positions and fanned out along the sides of the man while Jura regained his footing. The Manticore Stinger master eyed them, standing still like a statue. Alzack and Bisca fired first, each letting a flurry of bullets soar into the stoic man's armor. To their shock, each individual bullet impacted but fell away with a flattened tip, none piercing the armor.

The script for lava seared into the air and an attack of pure magma flew onto him, but he simply whipped his mail cape over his head. The bubbling molten metal poured off the sides of the armor and pooled on the ground where the man stood as unshaken as ever.

"Was any of that meant to damage me?" Brass then swung his arm, and a wave of metal spines materialized in the air and flew into the walls. Alzack grabbed Bisca's shoulders and thrust both of them into the ground, but Jura and Alm were late on the defense. The wizard saint grunted and gripped the metal between both of his palms, his muscles taut and aching as he kept it from skewering him. With one great twist of his abdomen he pushed it aside and let it fly into the wall, before having several rock columns at his opponent. Behind him, Alm's arm was roughly cut in half, leaving him with one bleeding stump. The council lackey felt a sensation he had never felt before, and it overwhelmed all of his senses.

Jura and Brass faced off against each other, both unflinching and staring intently. Bisca quickly switched her weapon to the purple rifle, but even that minor infraction caused Brass to snap two fingers, sending a wave of saw-shaped steel discs towards her. Alzack too tried to distract focus by whipping his pistol out, but once again only a minor action from Brass was able to force the gunslinger to dodge defensively.

"Sit down, children. As for you, Jura, hit me with your best shot." Jura felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. This seemed like a trap. But it couldn't be, with how powerful this man was, he could have easily defeated every one of the task force already. Perhaps risks were necessary. The room began to charge with energy as light glowed around Jura's figure. The energy crackled with power and the earth cracked beneath his feet.

Brass finally showed a hint of emotion in the form of a minute grin. Jura focused the energy into the sky, and with a great deal of force he released his ultimate move.

"Rumbling Mount Fuji!" And the piercing light shot down from the heavens. It encircled Brass and the whole room became obscured in the brightness. But within seconds the light faded, and standing in the impact zone was Brass. Unscathed.

He began to chuckle, and before long it morphed into uncontrollable laughter. It was in mockery of everything they'd tried in vain to accomplish.

"If that was the best you could muster, you truly have no chance of defeating me! And even less of a chance of destroying what we're about to create!"

The group froze and turned their attentions to the man far above them, who towered over the spinning lacrima. Behind them, a metallic wail screeched into existence. This even took Brass by surprise, and they saw the headlights of a monstrous vehicle speed down the large hall. It was the land ironclad, in which sat the man with the book.

"We may now proceed!" Shouted the robed figure atop the pedestal. From the corpses across the room small blue orbs sparked, and each floated into the air toward the lacrima. "The sacrifices are being channeled, now we simply need a soul to bind them!"

From behind the cloaked figure Monte narrowed his eyes and glanced down into the chamber.

"Use Brass. The warsmith will have no further use for him." The mechanical man beneath the cloak nodded his head affirmatively and the lacrima beneath his palms glowed with power. Across the chamber, the book soared into the air and lit itself ablaze with purple fire. The lacrima shot a beam of blue energy into the book, which created a spinning mass of churning energy. The room became permeated with the shrieks and wails of souls, and the roar of the demon inside the book.

Brass felt himself grow weary, and he saw that there was something eeking out of his armor. It was ethereal and blue…

"What are you doing?!" He bellowed, turning to look up to the pedestal. "This wasn't part of the deal!"

"Too bad you don't get to choose the terms when you're the loser!" Monte replied. And then Brass' soul was rushed from his body into the mix. The members of Lamia Scale and Fairy Tail watched in horror as the great ball of energy slowly ceased its revolutions and lowered itself onto the framework of the metal scorpion.

It was a violation of the natural world. The iron expanded into grotesque muscle fiber and twisting flesh coils, wrapping themselves around the metal frame. Jagged spines of steel shot in bloody storms and pus seeped out of gaping gashes as the biological matter rushed to create a living organism. It retained the purple and black colors of the demon, but this new creature was far more vile than even a demon. The whole being thrashed violently as it took on a more and more complete form. Jura grunted and sprinted backwards, tossing Alm over his shoulder as he took off down the hallway. Alzack and Bisca followed him, running for the exit as fast as possible.

"They're escaping…" The cyborg hissed to Monte. With a brusque toss of his messy blonde hair, the overseer chortled.

"We'll catch them later, show me what it can do." The technomancer nodded and put his palms on the lacrima. The demon machine turned its gaze to the tank at the center of the room, where the Manticore Stinger members smiled up at it. With a swipe of one of its glowing pincers, the tank was cleaved in half. The men inside were flung every which way, shocked and puzzled. Several saw blades inside the beast's maw spun and in gory mess it consumed the survivors, adding new biological mass to its frame with each consumption.

"I guess it works, send it out," Monte commanded. He bit his lip and glanced out of the small window he'd carved to the sun. Something gnawed at him. Perhaps his conscience…

They were battered and broken. Lyon held Sherry bridal style as he hobbled over the sand. Beside him several paces, Kagura and Kinana walked slowly down the side of a tall dune, both parched but better off physically than many of their comrades. Lia, Ichiya and the Trimens stood in the small clearing outside of the front gates of the enemy base in various states of bloody tiredness. Jura barreled across the clearing towards them with Alm over his shoulder like a sack of lard, Bisca and Alzack behind him running as fast as their wounded bodies would go.

"We need to run, now!" Jura roared. The ragtag group had finally gathered and all looked to each other quizzically. It was when they all noticed the lack of an arm on Alm that the seriousness, though the details were unknown, became real to them.

And then a metallic wail echoed out of the mountain and the ground shook. Jura's heart was only one thing they could do now, but it wouldn't be easy.

"Is the demon back, men?" Ichiya asked. Jura shook his head and laid Alm down.

"Something far worse, something we can't outrun. We'll have to fight it, but I don't know if we can win…"

Everyone was shocked. The Iron Rock Jura, the stoic face of this operation, the wizard saint himself. He was doubting their ability to win. Clenching her fists, Bisca stepped forward and faced the semicircle of wizards before her.

"I can't describe with words the enemy in there. It's horrifying, something straight out of my nightmares. But the only thing between _it_ and our homes is us. We've never given up before, through and against all odds we've always persevered. Natsu taught me that. And now we need to try to be strong, like Natsu, and face our worst fears with strength and courage! For the people left behind, and for our future!"

Sherry raised her fist, after which Lia, Kagura and Kinana each raised theirs. The Trimens followed suit, and before long everyone's face had solidified into one of confidence. Even Alm, who barely hung to his consciousness, feebly put his arm a bit higher than usual. A smile cracked across Jura's hardened visage.

And then from behind them the doors flew off their hinges and the chimeric scorpion flailed onto the desert floor, twisting and contorting as it howled in rage.

This was it. This was the fight that would change them all.

* * *

Natsu had a bad feeling about something. Instinctually he felt as if there was a great evil somewhere, and that caused him to do a great bit of worrying about the task force. Warren, as perceptive (due large in part to his magical abilities) as ever, sat beside the guild master at the bar.

"Is it the group?" Warren asked. Natsu nodded his head and took a sip of his ale. He leaned back against the bar and put his elbow onto the wood, gazing out at the hall.

"I wonder if this is how Makarov felt when we went out to fight Oracion Seis… I want to be confident, I want to believe as a fact that in a few days they'll march through those doors as heroes. But I can't help but think that the worst is gonna happen…" Warren pursed his lips and lowered his hands to his lap.

"I think you have a right to be worried, you've taken on a new role where you're responsible for the lives of other people, which is new. But you need that confidence, too. You always came back to Makarov, and they'll always come back to you. Bisca is S class, it'll all work out." Warren then patted his friend on the shoulder and retreated back into the hall. To the fourth master, everything was uncharted territory. And it didn't help that he could only sit inside powerless.

Feeling frustrated, Natsu stood up and paced towards his office. Paperwork was a good distraction. Forms and forms were stacked up, many of which were insurance claims filed by towns and cities where minor destruction was caused during the completion of jobs. Of course, it was nothing to rival the headache Makarov must have endured when Natsu and company were in their prime.

The office had come a long way. Natsu now had a personalized desk with his own pens, several framed pictures of him and Team Natsu, as well as decorations on the wall of noteworthy accomplishments from his time as guild master. His handwriting had improved by leaps and bounds as well. The personal growth would have astounded anyone else, but it didn't astound Natsu.

The loneliness was crippling. After his most recent misfortune with Jenny it was especially bad. Through his head he saw flashes of them all. Happy, Lucy, Mira, Ezra, Gray, Gildarts. All of their smiling faces. Natsu slid forward and laid his head on the desk surface. He was drained. So incredibly tired… It was here that he noticed a small letter on his desk, not visible from the higher angle he'd been at before. He plucked it up between his fingers and opened it carefully, examining the contents. It was a small square of parchment, upon with was written a date, time, and location on the outskirts of town. And it was signed from Crime Sorciere. Natsu set it down and stood up. Something was serious, he could guess that much. And once again his worry for the members of Fairy Tail out fighting was reignited.

Natsu threw his scarf around his neck and retreated out of his office and into the hall. He marched straight out of the building and into the streets of Magnolia, his mind racing a million miles per hour. Every worst case scenario played through his head as his sandals clacked against the stone street. He was walking on autopilot, and didn't even notice who was approaching him.

"Babe!" Natsu's eyes widened as she rounded on him. Her messy blonde hair swayed in the slight breeze. Her face, smiling and sculpted, was accentuated and highlighted by her perfect makeup. Her pastel green dress clung to her upper body and poofed out below, meshing a sexy but elegant look to her. God she was gorgeous. She threw her arms around Natsu and he hugged her back. She smelled vaguely of fresh flowers and bread, mixed with sweetness and other pleasant scents. But Natsu instantly realized he still had somewhere to be, and for that reason he felt his soul crushed beneath another weight. He was now left with two options, and in a snap Natsu decided which was more important to him.

"I'm really sorry about the other day, so I figured I'd swing by and surprise you!" Natsu's spirit took a nosedive once again as he stared down at her smiling face. Her eyes shimmered like a tropical sea.

"Jenny, I'm so happy you're here. God, I missed you. But I have important guildmaster business right now, and it'll take an hour or two. Will you be here when I get back?" Jenny's smile retreated slightly, enough that Natsu could tell what she wore on her face was an act.

"Oh… Well I don't know how much time I have for sure, but…" The light reigninted in her eyes and she brightened up again. "But I can cancel my other appointment, it's been too long!"

And for the first time all day, and all week, Natsu's heart swelled and he began to smile like a huge idiot.

"Awesome! I'll see you then!" The two then shared a kiss, before Natsu spun and waved at her as he trotted quickly away. He then turned again, and ran back to snatch one last smooch from his beautiful girlfriend. Jenny giggled as her goofy boyfriend picked up his pace and started jogging down the block, becoming obscure in the foot traffic.

She sighed, knowing the headache of rescheduling was going to be a toughy. But to her, this relationship meant a lot. And she was going to do everything in her power to make it work. For now though, she wanted a glass of wine. It had been a long day.

* * *

The scorpion scythed a massive pincer overhead, cutting through the air and churning the sand with the vacuum of space the motion created. Jura slid and thrust several sharpened columns into its side, each one impacting and spilling blood and guts to the sand. The beast cried out in agony and jabbed the whirring stinger at Jura. On its tip hundreds of twisting sawblades and drill bits glowed red hot from their perpetual motion.

The saint erected a barrier of stone, but the stones were shattered into scraps and dust upon impact, leaving the stinger still catapulting downwards towards him. A purple beam pierced the iron flesh and severed the stinger from the rest of its length, dropping the hulk of flesh and metal to the sand where it collapsed and bubbled into a puddle of matter. The wound quickly healed and a new platform of churning machinery pushed out of the cauterization into the air. But this time it was glowing purple.

All the while the rest of the functioning members of the coalition were unleashing their magic at the beasts' feet, and in response it shifted its position constantly. But it couldn't focus on a target. It swung at the trimens, who dodged its attacks. It cut at Alzack and Bisca, who rolled beneath its swing.

The spinning orbs it had for eyes settled, and it ceased its motions. Out from beneath the group metal tendrils ripped through the sandy floor and stabbed upwards. The first punctured Ren's right leg, shearing through the bone straight to the marrow and destroying his whole femur. He screamed aloud and dropped. Another wrapped itself around Lyon and began to constrict him, reopening the frozen wound in his neck. Alzack started to frantically fire at the tendrils thrusting towards him, while also trying to keep them off of his comrades. Bisca broke the one constricting Lyon with a precise shot and set back trying to destroy the rest. Kagura turned to swing at one, but it ducked beneath and was posied to pierce her stomach when Kinana grabbed it in one hand and melted it.

"I'm useless against it!" Eve screamed as he hopped back towards Lyon. "And you must be, too! It's got a heat shield that melts my attacks before they get near it!" The two grimaced as the tendril assault stopped, and the beast contorted and was changing once more. A bulbous sack dropped from the neck of the great monstrosity and its whole face glowed orange. A wall of fire leapt out and illuminated the whole area, casting the land in the same orange hue as the sunrise. A stone wall leapt up, this time deterring the attack.

"I can't do shit! I can't control its metal, and mine has no affect!" Lia cried as tears of frustration and rage spilled down her cheeks. Similar demoralization could be found on all of the faces in the group, besides Jura and Bisca. But there was no time for speeches. The scorpion smashed the wall to pieces and swung its pincer like a guillotine.

They stared in mute horror as Ichiya was split in half. His eyes were wide and the word _men_ could be seen on the tip of his lips as each half fell to the ground, spewing blood. The trimens were frozen in place. Nobody seemed able to react to the foe that still loomed, besides those who had faced profuse death before. Lyon attacked with an ice dragon, but the attack was already melting into slick before it impacted. And when it did it served merely as a distraction. Sherry mustered the last of her power and created a sand golem, which gripped the scorpion's face in one hand and began to bludgeon it with its free fist. The creature howled then a purple beam screeched out of its stinger, destroying the golem and cutting into the ground.

The beam kept going, and caught Alzack in the hip, burning through the side of his abdomen. Bisca's eyes widened and she cried out, sprinting towards his body as it fell to the ground. She stopped in her tracks, requipping to her minigun and roaring in rage as bullets pummeled the creature. Its face was turned to swiss cheese and fell apart in seconds, giving her the window she needed to run to her partner.

The scorpion regenerated its head nearly instantly, and its stinger surged towards her. Lia and Kagura hopped between them and used as many sharp objects as they could muster to smash it, extending the time Bisca had to drop her gun and fall beside Alzack. He stared up at her with a smile as his blood poured onto the sand.

"No, Alzack. Please…" Bisca said through jagged gasps and tears. "I love you, don't leave me…" Alzack shook his head feebly and coughed.

"I'm just scratched, no vitals are ruined. But…" Behind them, the scorpion swatted Kagura and Lia out of the air and its stinger began to glow purple once again, pointed at the two lovers. Bisca looked up, and then back down at Alzack.

"At least we'll be together. Damn, I wanted to have kids with you…" Bisca sighed. She leaned down and gave Alzack one last kiss…

In the mountain base, the technomancer collapsed, a huge hole blown through his chest. He stuttered and gasped as he hit the ground, and Monte stepped over the body to shatter the lacrima.

"W-why?" the technomancer asked desperately. Monte shook his head and planted his boot in the abominations skull, shattering the brain beneath. He huffed and jammed his hands in his pockets.

"Oughta balance my karma for this week," and with a sigh he retreated out of the back door. He'd chalk it up to the superiority of the enemy coalition, though that couldn't be further from the truth.

* * *

Natsu didn't remember Crime Sorciere being this big. He stood in the shadows of the tall pine trees, their needles quaking gently in the breeze. In front of him, sitting on top of granite rocks and tree branches were figures in the blue cloaks of the rogue vigilante guild. Many of them had their hoods pulled over their heads, but he definitely recognized Angel from Oracion Seis, as well as the scent of Cobra.

"Thank you for coming, Natsu," Ultear said. Beside her, Meredy smiled. Natsu took note of the pinkette, realizing she'd aged a great deal in the last year. It had really been awhile since he'd last seen any of them. Jellal ran a hand through his hair and looked up into the sky.

"Something is very wrong in the world right now, Natsu. The guild your people was sent to fight is a front. Manticore Stinger was a strong dark guild, but they were content isolationists. So I did some digging and it turns out someone stronger made them into a tributary…"

"Was it the other member of the Baram Alliance, Tartaros, or whatever?" Natsu asked. Jellal shook his head in response.

"No, a guild I'd never even heard of before. There was basically no information on them at all, but I managed to get it out of someone. All I know is that they call themselves Demon Machine, and they want to enslave the Etherious inside mechanical bodies. My assumption is that they're testing the first one in the desert, where your people are at."

"Then why aren't you there?!" Natsu asked angrily. Jellal bit his lip.

"To tell you the truth, it terrifies me. But I think that with Jura there, they can beat it. We're going to try to figure out more about Demon Machine, and maybe try to interfere with their lower level plans. If we can locate their homebase, I want your help taking them down permanently."

Natsu crossed his arms and nodded his head. He looked around at the cloaked figures once more, many of them looking down with a grin.

"You've got Fairy Tail's support, Jellal. I don't know about any other guild, but we'll be there for you. Send word to me if something conclusive happens." Jellal hopped off his rock and strode up before Natsu. The two locked eyes, and then hands in firm shake. Ultear and Meredy leapt from their perches as well and each embraced Natsu. "Oh, by the way, who're your new additions?"

"Them? Mostly just old members of Oracion Seis. We freed them and they agreed to join our cause in an attempt to right their wrongs." Natsu nodded respectfully. He admired the goal.

"Is that all, Jellal?" The blue haired man nodded and Natsu turned to head back to the city. He had someone he needed to see.


	22. Chapter 22- The Sand Forgets

**Chapter 22- The Sand Forgets**

Natsu and Jenny sat across from each other at a bourgeois little restaurant in downtown Magnolia. Reporters tried to snap away from behind the hedges that kept the common folk out, but most of their attempts were in vain. The couple happily ate and chit chatted, discussing the weeks business and the goings ons of their guilds.

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm really worried about them," Natsu said with a sigh. He didn't outright share that information with anyone, but he knew that openness with his significant other was key. "I know they'll be back, but what if something horrible happens?" Jenny gave a slight smile and reached across the table. She placed her small and alabaster hand on Natsu's and gave him a reassuring look of love and confidence.

"You have every right to be worried. But be confident too. They'll be back, I know it." Natsu's lips parted into a slight grin and a brief silence fell over the two as they ate a little more. Jenny wiped her lips with a napkin and cleared her throat nervously.

"Natsu… I'm really sorry about the other day. But it got me thinking about this, about us." Natsu looked up from the meat he was picking at with full attention. It had been lingering at the back of his mind too, but he wasn't prepared for it to come out like this. "Well, it just seems like this distance is really fucking with both of us."

Natsu nodded his head and paused to formulate his words carefully.

"I guess I agree. You're always busy, I'm always busy, and without being near enough it just feels like we're not really part of each others lives…" Jenny stirred a small porcelain cup of team and looked up slowly, reaching across the table for a small glass sugar cup.

"I had a small idea though. Maybe you could… Step down as guild master, and come join Blue Pegasus?" Natsu's eyes widened and Jenny looked back down at the tea she was stirring as she continued. "I mean, I know it sounds bad. But we would be an unstoppable team. I could take breaks from modelling and in between we could complete S class jobs, or maybe model together, or just anything really…" Her vocal pace was erratic and fast, she herself creating the idea as she went along. Natsu was the one who reached over the table this time.

"Jenny. I can't do that. I want to, I really do. But I have to be here when they all come home, when the group out comes back, and when the ones we lost at Tenrou come back. I made a vow to myself and to my friends who're gone. To my family." Jenny bit her lower lip and nodded her head slowly.

"I thought we could be family…" Jenny whispered, barely above a breath. She took a deep gulp of air and blinked several times, regaining her composure. "I love you, Natsu. But maybe… Maybe friendship for now…" Natsu nodded. He smiled at her as wide as he could.

"I'll cover the meal this time, I owe you for way too many," Natsu laughed. Jenny filled with a small light and chuckled as well. The two stood up and Natsu embraced her, taking in her wonderful scent for the last time. Jenny did likewise, and as the two parted they both cast the final of their amorous glances at each other. Her curves, hair, her flawless skin. His wild hair, unkempt vigour, sculpted muscles.

The two made their way out of the restaurant towards the train station, but there was an invisible barrier between them now. Where once they would be smiling, arms linked, cuddled together; they were now spaced and plastering fake expressions to save the other any added emotional strife. They didn't even embrace as she boarded the train, they simply shared a plain handshake.

Natsu watched it chug into the horizon, his eyes waiting for her to jump from the moving train and to hurl herself into his arms. But it didn't happen. She didn't even lean out to wave…

In the train, in her private cart, the dam broke. Jenny tossed herself to the carpeted floor and burst into a fit of shaking and tears. She smacked at anything she could and tossed all of her china tea set against the walls. It was so unfair. But there was nobody to blame, besides herself. Their relationship was born from a few passionate nights in Crocus, nothing more. She ducked her head out of the cart window, praying he would be chasing the train to sweep her off her feet. But she couldn't even see Magnolia in the distance anymore. She curled her fists and stood tall.

"Natsu… This won't be the end…" She then looked at the stack of papers on one of the tables, filled with photoshoots and appointments. She hurled them out of the train window and watched them flap in the setting sun. This was the end of an era in Blue Pegasus, though Jenny didn't yet know it. But something great was to begin, and hers was the javelin that would dismount destiny. "I'm going to become the strongest mage in the world, and when that happens, I'll marry you. I swear it!" Jenny raised a fist, now coated in gleaming iron from her transformation."

Back in Magnolia, Natsu took very slow steps through the street. The vibrancy and color of the town seemed faded and dull. He couldn't cry, but he felt a deep sense of despair. In life sacrifices must be made, and he knew he could never sway from his promise. His promise to keep Fairy Tail's head above the clouds until they all returned. He couldn't get Jenny's face out of his mind, except for one brief moment where _she_ once again crept into his mind. Now wasn't the time for that. Natsu sighed and leaned against a lamppost, eyeing the canal. He recalled walking with Lucy and Happy on this path. He missed them. He missed his brawls with Gray, he missed being chastised by Ezra, he missed the braggadocious word fights in the guild hall. It all seemed so much worse today. Natsu sunk down the pole until he was sitting, his head hung low. Where was the fairness in his life? All it ever did was take. And when it gave, it yanked away. Igneel, his guild, his friends, Jenny, his peace of mind. This world had taken the best of Natsu and had left the hardened shell. The shell could survive, but at what cost?

Natsu glanced at his palms and then up into the sky. Why did it have to be this way? Natsu wished he understood. He wished he understood Acnologia, Zeref, and the other evils that plighted him. But he didn't, and most likely wouldn't for years. For now, all there was in his life was the feeling of brokeness.

 **The Next Day, Sable**

"How do you keep it down?" Lia asked Bisca. The two sat beside each other on the slow rolling cart as it slid across the sand. All around them were carts and camels ridden by rune knights and council workers. And at the front of it all was the black cart containing the corpses of those who'd been lost.

"What?" Bisca asked softly. Lia's blonde hair was frizzy and disheveled, and her face was caked in dried sand and small lacerations. The magnet girl laid on the older woman's lap, tears softly rolling down her cheeks.

"I can't get it out of my head. The blood…" She whimpered and went silent. Bisca bit her lip and caressed the side of her young friend's face.

"Lia… It's never easy. And feeling as horrified as you are right now means you're human. Nobody should ever become accustomed to the loss of life like that. You may never be rid of it. But remember what we told Kagura, what we told _you_ after you lost your parents. We're a guild of broken people, and together we may all be able to fix each other. Someday." Lia nodded and closed her eyes. Bisca glanced out of the small hole in the canvas beside her. She felt a single tear bead in her left eye. Not for Ichiya or Alm who had died, but for the one in the surgical cart far behind them. She feared for Alzack, but knew she had to be like Natsu. Utter confidence in the face of all despair. Bisca grinned slightly when she realized Lia had finally fallen asleep, likely of pure exhaustion. The huntress knew there would be no sleep for her, likely for many more hours.

"Bisca, you would make such a great mother…" Kinana said from the opposite bench. She was curled fetus position, her eyes locked in some distant place. Bisca frowned and sighed quietly. Everyone around her was distraught. They had every right to be, what they had just endured was something scarring. She had to be the rock, the one they could all look up to.

"Thanks, Kinana. I think I want to be. Don't get me wrong, I love going out on jobs, but… I don't know. Shit like this makes me wonder. It makes me wonder if I'll have the happy ending I want. So I have to make my ending happy, in spite of everything. I'm happy right now."

Kinana looked up at Bisca, slightly surprised. She barely muttered but Bisca could hear the soft "how?"

"You're alive. I'm alive. Alzack is gonna make it through. My friends, no, my family. My family all made it through this. And now we're gonna go home stronger, train, and be ready to take these assholes down. So cheer up, we're going to see Natsu soon." Bisca gave Kinana a radiant smile that completely brightened the girl up.

Further away, in a separate cart, Lyon seethed in quiet fury. He and Jura sat alone, both worrying over the wounded Sherry in the medical cart.

"You did as well as you could have," The wizard saint assured. Lyon tossed his head back and crossed his arms.

"But it wasn't enough. I wasn't enough. I need to get stronger, Jura. But I honestly don't know how." The bald man looked at his feet and then up at the canvas roof of their cart.

"Go north. The northern wilderness is filled with perilous creatures and ancient magic. When we return, rest. And once you've rested, voyage to the north. But Ooba can't know I told you this, or Sherry. They'll miss you if you leave." Lyon frowned, but his mind was already made.

"I know they will, but I'll come back strong enough to protect all of them. I need to be able to, so we never lose anyone like Blue Pegasus lost Ichiya." Jura put a hand on Lyon's shoulder.

"That's a commendable goal. You've come a great length from when you first joined Lamia Scale. I'm proud, and Ooba's proud. You didn't need to win on the battlefield today. You protected Sherry, and you fought valiantly. That is on its own worth merit." Lyon grinned and the two clasped hands.

"Thank you, Jura."

 **Demon Machine Headquarters**

Monte lounged laying on his front, his arms bracing his head and his back soaking the sun that seeped into the room through the large glass window. It was the only light around, and the lacrima embedded in his back hummed softly as the man relaxed. He exhaled and rolled over, seeing several silhouettes surrounding him menacingly.

"I suppose you returning this soon means the experiment failed," scoffed a hooded man in a red cloak. His voice was harsh and metallic.

"On the contrary, the experiment worked marvelously. It just got destroyed by the council's coalition. The activation went smoothly, though, and it took the lives of quite a few of our enemies," Monte countered. He put his palms on the stone floor and hoisted his back up, sitting in a laid back posture. The tallest of the figures cackled maniacally.

"Only a few? Then it must have been an unsuccessful experiment!" The lady leaned forward so her face was in the light, revealing wide eyes and an evil smile framed by rainbow hair that almost glowed. Monte blew air out of his lips indignantly.

"Have you been listening, Mode? I said the experiment worked. That one fucking wizard saint was there, the one that looks like a thumb."

"And you didn't think to fight him off?" Another asked angrily. He was huge, though smaller than Mode, with a frame as wide as three men.

"I came back to tell you guys the shit worked, goddam. Need I remind all of you that the whole purpose of this endeavor was just to test if it would work. Our lackeys were expendable, the book was expendable, the technomancer was expendable. Expendable, expendable, expendable. Now can you all get off my dick?"

The last of them entered the ring of light and put his foot on Monte's chest, His skin was as dark as the room around them and he glowed with a vile power.

"I don't like your attitude, Monte…" He whispered. The two glared at each other for a brief moment before the hall boomed. Far behind them, the biggest human outline stalked closer. Small lights adorned it, making it visible, an on occasion flares of fire and molten metal puffed up from the steam vents along its back. It stood as tall as a giant, and was just as broad.

"Monte is correct. The experiment was a sound success based upon the initial expectations. Now we begin to move towards phase two of our plan. Manticore Stinger was just the beginning. Even the greatest beasts will have to staunch its own bleeding eventually. Tartaros can no longer ignore our existence. Each of you knows the role you are to play, now is the time. Go." They all dispersed, and as Monte stood up to excuse himself an iron hand placed itself on his comparatively small shoulder. "Not you, I have a new assignment for you."

 **Magnolia, One Week Later**

The carts rolled past the city limits in the late night, stopping right in front of the new (relatively) Fairy Hills. Bisca, Kinana, Kagura and Lia grabbed their belongings and marched across the grass into the lobby.

Bisca watched as the other three shambled down the hall into their rooms and heard the clicks of each individual lock. She strode into her gun vault and pulled the iron door closed behind her. It sat directly across from Erza's armor room, or rather the new room where they stored all of Erza's stuff.

The walls were lined with guns, bullets, rockets, launchers, grenades, bigger guns, and in the middle sat her purple rifle. She collapsed onto the floor in front of it and tears streamed down her cheeks. Bisca felt weak. She was the mother to so many, the strong and unwavering presence. But who would be her rock? Alzack had nearly died, she couldn't protect him. And he definitely couldn't protect her. This world seemed so hopeless to her. Where was Erza? Bisca stalked across the hall and locked herself in Erza's armory. It was a much bigger room filled with more. More armor, more weapons, more clothes. And seeing it all just reminded Bisca of her best friend who'd been lost for a year now.

There were few constants in Bisca's life. But it had dwindled down to two. And now one was on the verge of being gone. Natsu and Alzack. Natsu's strength, his caring, his unwavering dedication to Fairy Tail. And Alzack's love. But they had told Bisca that his chances were slim. She couldn't stop the tears, but strangely, she was unaffected. Her breathing held constant and her body was still. But the leaking wouldn't end. She wanted them all back. She wanted Erza, she wanted Makarov, she wanted Lucy and Gray and Levy and Mira. She didn't want to be alone. She didn't want to hold all this weight on her shoulders. She felt something cold in her right hand.

It was a pistol. How had it gotten there? She wasn't sure, but briefly something flashed into her mind. Perhaps an escape. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't leave now. Everyone had already left. What would become of her friends? Of her family? Bisca's eyes stung from the saliantion of her tears. She didn't care anymore. For too long she had been a column in this guild, and in fact, besides Natsu, who else was? Who else hoisted the immense responsibility of everyone else's well being? Her and Natsu only. She eyed the weapon in her hand. It's sleek edges, the intricacies of its design, the hidden power inside of it. Firearms were so bizarre.

Something cold nipped at her left hand. She opened her palm and saw a small brass bullet, a twenty-two millimeter. It wasn't magical, there was no writing on its side. Just brass. Just a regular bullet. On autopilot, her hand slid open the chamber of the pistol and she daintily lowered the little baby into its cradle. The gun then clicked shut, and Bisca's thumb flicked the safety switch.

She hadn't slept in the week since the scorpion. But now she intended to get a good long rest. Maybe she'd see Alzack again.

Though muffled, the sound of a singular gunshot was audible from behind the iron door to Erza's storage room.


	23. Chapter 23- Mole

**Chapter 23- Mole**

 _A/N: Hey, we finally made it 25,000 views! Milestone! Keep reading and bein awesome, than you all!_

Natsu sat in front of his table quietly. The night was silent. His window was ajar and a light breeze rolled through, but with it was not the typical chirping of crickets or other soft sounds. Silence. The lamp on the desk flickered over the empty table. The seat in front of him was empty. He sat still, unmoving. His mind was elsewhere, and his body was a statue frozen in its spot. A very minuscule knock at the door broke him from his reveries. The sanctity of this silent setting now violated, Natsu pried himself out of his chair and trudged to the door.

When he opened it, he found a familiar face. Bisca was unkempt and disheveled. Her hair was tangled and sticking up in random places, and her pajamas were haphazardly done. She was certainly a mess. For a while the two stood rooted in place, observing one another. They found similarities in their facial expressions that gave them glimpses of what was happening deeper. And they each recognized what the other was going through. Bisca opened her mouth, but no words followed. Natsu opened the door wider and gestured for her to enter.

Her footsteps were silent. She pulled out the chair silently and sat down at Natsu's table. The salamander opened a cabinet silently and produced two glasses and a bottle of liquor. The glasses didn't clink, and the liquid didn't slosh. The room remained at peace. The objects were placed on the table and Natsu sat himself across from his guild member.

They sat there, and sat, and continued to sit. The only other action each of them found themselves engaging in was staring at the other. Without a word both were conducting a complex mental analysis of the other.

The noise that ended it was the pop of the top off the bottle, with its subsequent clink against the floor directly following. The clear liquid filled Bisca's glass, then Natsu's. She whetted her lips and took a breath.

"Natsu, I need help."

"I know."

"How?"

"How what, Bisca?"

"I know you feel it too. The immense weight."

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"Well, who do you go to? Who consoles you? Who protects you? Who makes you feel like everything is going to be okay when your own hope has dried up and abandoned you?"

"For awhile, nobody. Then Jenny. But now nobody again, I guess."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know you two…"

"Don't worry. It was for the best. I think what I said was disingenuous. I do have a method for feeling better. The world is my therapist. My guild, my friends, the people I know and love. Seeing everyone smile and laugh and get stronger. But I know what you mean, having to be a beacon of light is hard. And to be honest, I don't think I've ever told anyone how hopeless I feel. How depressed I am. I see them every night…"

"Me too. I remember the way they would act in the hall, the conversations and brawls…"

"Some nights it's too much for me. But when it gets to be like that, I rely on the guild more than ever before. And you know, Warren is a great psychiatrist."

"But does it really help?"

"A little. I don't think I'll ever be better, even when they all return. I've changed too much

and seen too many deaths now. My life's fucked up. But when they get back a piece will be put back, and I'll be on the right path."

The two then sat in silence again for a brief period, raising their glasses and downing the contents. It felt spiritual. Bisca mulled over the things Natsu said, and Natsu mulled over whether or not he had conveyed the right ideas. The lapse in communication persisted as the bottle got lower and lower, until it had dried up completely.

"You know… Here's my advice to you. Settle down with Alzack. It doesn't seem like your nature, but it'll allow you to be someone everyone else looks up to without the immense responsibility of protecting them on the battlefield as well. You can still go on jobs, and still do the things you're passionate about. But stop loading yourself with these expectations and responsibilities that are too high. You lose your own self worth. And you shouldn't, because you're the second strongest and most reliable member of Fairy Tail. You stepped into some of the biggest shoes of Fairy Tail and fucking rocked it."

Bisca tossed herself across the table and embraced Natsu, tears spilling from her eyes. Natsu hugged her back as she cried quietly, patting her back. She was a mess: appearance, mental state and all. But this was the first step. And Natsu knew that she had it in her to conquer these mountains before her. It was a few minutes before the green haired girl pulled away and wiped her eyes. She smiled at Natsu and he smiled back. Amazingly, neither of them seemed too affected by the alcohol previously ingested.

"Take care, Bisca. I'll see you tomorrow." Natsu escorted her out of the hut and waved as she descended down the side of the hill, trekking out towards the city that glowed softly in the distance. Natsu sighed and moved back into his house, exhausted. But at least he got to help one of his own.

He hoped she could find more solace in her life than he'd been condemned to lose. He looked across his room to where a small photograph sat, a photo of Jenny smiling. He couldn't bring himself to throw it out, but seeing it hurt him. This world was a cruel place, it chewed up the righteous and spit them out. It rewarded villainy. But that didn't mean that the good wasn't to fight the evil. Natsu looked out of his window at Magnolia and to the mountains past it.

Natsu wished he could've told Bisca the truth. It was his fault. He couldn't get the weight off his shoulders, he couldn't forgive himself. Alzack was nearly dead because he had sent them out on that mission. He didn't have to, but he did. His mind raced with unanswered what if questions.

What if he had gone with them? What if he had sent more mages? What if he hadn't sent them out at all?

Natsu was in the deepest pit of self-loathing. Ichiya was gone, his existence wiped off the face of this earth. A life that could never come back. And to top it all off, he had lost the one companion he thought he had. What was the purpose of continuing? He knew what it was, and he knew why he had to stay here. But he certainly didn't want to. It was all too much for him. He cracked open the liquor cabinet and sighed at the rows of emptied bottles. He couldn't even get drunk.

There was no sleep waiting for Natsu tonight, just like there hadn't been last night; or the night before. Why? Natsu collapsed back into the chair and he looked out through the window at the mountain range once more. Sometimes he just wanted to run past those mountains, and over the sea until he was gone from this life he knew.

And what terrified Natsu the most was his inability to cry. With all of this pain, all of this suffering, he couldn't even shed a tear. Was he that lifeless? Perhaps his soul had been removed from his body and now he simply existed as a husk. A very tired husk. But a tired husk that couldn't sleep. So he stayed awake and let his mind dwell on the horror his life had become.

In the night air Bisca cursed herself. She strode across the field towards Fairy Hills quietly, observing the beautiful sky. She didn't tell Natsu about what she had almost done. Hell, she didn't want to remember. She had almost quit, almost abandoned everyone who cared about her. She thanked whatever god may have existed past those stars that she'd seen reason. It was alright, she supposed. Nobody really needed to know. Bisca would recover fine without telling anyone about it. She hoped.

* * *

"So… What brings you here to Magnolia?" Natsu asked. He wanted to be welcoming and friendly, but he couldn't shake an underlying suspicion of the girl sitting in front of him. Maybe it was the wide and wild eyes, maybe it was the huge fucking V-cut that showed off way too much cleavage. But either way, the braided red-head giggled as she sat.

"I've always idolized this guild, and ever since the Grand Magic Games I really wanted to join!" She put her hands on her knees and smiled wide which was a rather unsettling sight. But he figured there was no reason to turn down a passionate recruit.

"Sounds good. Pick out where you want your guild mark and then you can get started. Oh, and let me tell you the rules…" Natsu was about to continue when the door to his office was busted open by an excited Warren.

"Natsu, something wild is happening out there! Romeo is taking on Wakaba!" Natsu stood up with a huge grin covering his face.

"We'll finish this later," He said to Flare dismissively. The two men bolted out the door, leaving the girl with her fingers over her mouth as she chuckled. A small paper doll floated out from behind her back.

"Wakaba started talking mad shit about Macao as a joke, but Romeo didn't take it that way. They're about to duel." Warren filled the fourth master in as the two ascended the spiral stairs up to the ground floor.

"And Macao let Romeo do this?" Natsu asked incredulously. Warren nodded.

"Yeah, I guess he's confident that the last few weeks of training have already been super helpful.

"But he's eight years old…?" Natsu asked. He was happy to hear that Romeo had the fire in him, but worried due to the tripled age difference between the two. Warren shrugged.

"I guess we'll just have to see."

Outside, a large ring had formed on the battleground around. Everyone was watching expectantly. Romeo stood across from Wakaba who was puffing away on his cigarette with a flame behind his eyes.

"Alright, clean fighting, no funny business. I reserve the right to stop it early if shit goes down. Get to it," Natsu cried.

Romeo began in a surge of aggression. A rope of purple flame flew from his palm and wrapped itself around Wakaba's shocked neck, and with a pull Romeo slammed his glowing red fist into the smoke mage's nose. It burst into a pood and Romeo tossed another lasso to his right, catching the real Wakaba by the ankle. A smoke fist spiraled from the cigarette and up into the air, plummeting into Romeo's form.

The boy took it and rolled across the dirt, but he pushed himself to his feet quickly with his teeth gritted and his fists clenched. He spun through the air and flicked his wrist, summoning another long purple flame that smacked into a smoke clone. Romeo twisted his torso and shot a plume of red flame out of his heel, popping Wakaba's incoming attack. He then landed and dashed, sliding across the dirt to land his fist smack into Wakaba's manhood.

The grown man squealed in pain and clutched at the damage, whimpering as Romeo turned to continue.

"Alright, pipsqueak, that's it…" And the heat got turned up a notch. Several tendrils of smoke billowed from behind Wakaba and shot towards Romeo. He punched and slashed at the ones he could with desperate flame attacks, but many still pierced the defense. They each impacted, every one of them feeling like the blow from a tremendous punch. Romeo keeled over and put up his hand, letting Wakaba know that this indeed was enough.

Macao rushed to his son's side and helped him up with a smile. Romeo's eyes brimmed with tears as he stared into his father's eyes, astonished and confused.

"Son, you don't have to fight for your old man like that. But you know what? Give it time, and you could whoop that geezer's ass with your hands tied behind your back." Romeo smiled and shut his eyes through the tears. It was a tender moment not lost on two of the people standing in the circle. Bisca and Alzack each mulled it over in their respective minds. Wondering if they could have that, if it was too late now. Alzack gulped and thought deeply about what he wanted to do. It meant giving up on the life he knew, and the life she knew. It was the biggest change either of them would go through. But he decided he was ready for it.

The crowd was dispersing, but Natsu decided to hang back. His eyes widened from afar as he watched it all unfold.

Alzack stepped towards Bisca, who gave him a warm smile.

"I know that look, something's on your mind, isn't it?" Bisca asked with a chortle. Alzack put on a nervous smile and nodded.

"Well… Ever since the desert I've been thinking. And a lot of that thinking hurt my head, I'm not the smartest guy on the planet." He laughed and scratched his hair with his free arm, being careful to not disturb the bandaged end of his torso. "But I realized that there are things I want, and I know you want too. And at this rate we might not ever get to them. So I figured…" Bisca's eyes widened. Alzack reached into his pants pocket and fumbled with something, and in the excitement he accidentally dropped it. A small velvet box hit the dirt and popped open, something shiny rolling out in the process. Bisca couldn't breathe. She took a step back and tears immediately began to well in her eyes. Alzack, who was now blushing beet red, plucked the ring from the ground and got to one knee.

"Bisca Moulin, I love you. We've been to hell and back together, shot up way more bars than I can count, and had grad adventures. But I wanna go on the grandest adventure of them all. I want to have kids, be a dad, and be with you until the end of time. So… Will you marry me?" Bisca fought back tears and nodded her head, her lips curling into an overjoyed smile. She put her hand forward and Alzack slipped the band around her ring finger. He then stood up and the two shared a long kiss before they embraced each other. Bisca looked up and over Alzack's shoulder saw the guild master smiling at the two, his thumb raised high in the air. He then turned and retreated into the guild hall. Bisca closed her eyes, half expecting it to all be gone when she opened them again. But it wasn't a dream.

"Bisca… You're kinda hurting me."


	24. Chapter 24- The First Mystery

**Chapter 24- The First Mystery**

The group of girls sat in a tight ring on the soft carpet floor of Fairy Hills. They were all drenched in sweat and passing around a decanter of lemonade, enjoying icy glasses of the liquid as a fan spun quietly overhead.

"Thanks for helping me move my stuff, ladies," Bisca thanked as she swigged down another serving.

"No problem, Bis. But isn't it kinda hastey to shack up with Alzack before you two are even married?" Lia asked. Bisca didn't even have time to answer before Kinana interjected.

"To be honest I'm surprised they haven't been living together for years, plus they did stay together while this place was being rebuilt." Bisca smiled at Kinana, and Lia nodded understandingly. Kagura stretched out and laid back on the plush for, sighing as she did so.

"What's it like to be in love?" She asked to the air. She didn't even realize that she had verbalized the thought.

"Ooooh, Kagura wants to know what love is?" Lia chuckled as a cruel grin crept onto her face. Bisca huffed and shook her head.

"Don't taunt her, you're the one who couldn't even finesse Natsu."

"Like anyone could, did you see the curves on Jenny? Nobody else looks like that in the whole fucking world. Well… Maybe Kagura I guess. And you Bisca… Come to think of it, fuck, are Kinana and I the only realistic girls here?" Lia scooted over to Kinana and whispered something in her ear, to which Kinana replied in a whisper. Lia frowned and her spirit died.

"Well, he and Jenny are done so maybe you've got another shot?" Bisca suggested. The room went quiet and everyone stared at bisca. It was then that the green haired woman realized she'd fucked up.

"Oh, that's some real tea…" Lia said under her breath. Lia went to computing in hear head, suddenly questioning a lot of what she had been thinking for months.

"Okay, none of that leaves this room though," Bisca said nervously. But part of her was excited. She relished every opportunity to act the age of her peers, it was so rare for her to be anything other than grizzled.

"Do you… Have any more gossip?" Kagura asked. The cold shell that typically adorned her face cracked and she had a small tinge of something else behind her eyes. Bisca bit her lip and tried to think of something juicy, but other than her personal talk with Natsu she wasn't entirely sure.

"I do," Lia announced. "I sucked Hibiki's dick. Before the fight, not after. I mean, he was so torn up about Ichiya-" And with the simple mentioning of just that one name the playful innocence of the room died. The image flashed through each of their minds, save Bisca. The grotesque horror of watching a human open up and spill the contents of their innards into the air was unbearable. Kagura retreated back into her shell, Kinana pulled her knees up to her chest, and Lia sighed. It was less bad for Lia, having now seen the damage done by the Wolf Pack and Manticore Stinger. But it being normalized was just as scary. It saddened Bisca to see them all this way.

"So… Where and when's the wedding?" Lia asked. She was tired of this, of the oppressive feeling of fear and trauma. And she definitely wasn't going to let it ruin a perfectly good afternoon with her girls.

"We aren't sure exactly where yet, but we're thinking about the anniversary of Tenrou. It's symbolic that way, you know? Like new life and new hope despite bad things. I don't know, maybe it's contrived."

"No, it's perfect!" Kinana exclaimed. "But where are you guys gonna have it?" Bisca poured another glass of lemonade and huffed, wondering the same thing herself. She wasn't entirely sure.

"Well we could have it here-"

"That's basic as fuck!" Lia shouted. Kagura nodded and voiced her agreement. "Like, come on, Bis. It's the biggest night of your life! Have it somewhere big and grand and memorable! I personally can't think of anything, but I'm sure there's someplace you can imagine."

Bisca smiled in a defeated sort of way, knowing that there was no winning against these girls here. But it didn't matter, that was part of the reason she loved them.

"By the way, what do you all think of that Flare girl?" Kagura asked. Lia put a finger to her lower lip and began to ponder, while Kinana and Bisca did similar. "I personally have a rotten feeling about her."

"Well, I think she's a good person," Kinana began. But then Lia lurched forward and cut in abrasively.

"Her hair is tacky and messy. She looks like she hasn't slept in a decade, and to top it all off she has killer curves. It's the worst combination. She doesn't deserve tits that big…" Lia frowned sadly and looked down at her own rack in sorrow.

"I agree with Kagura," Bisca added. "I don't judge based on appearance, but I get an off putting vibe when I look at her. Like something isn't exactly right."

"Maybe, but we shouldn't cast her out," Kinana urged. "I'm sure that's just because she's new, and after we get to know her better it'll all be fine!" Bisca smiled and nodded, but in the back of her head disagreed entirely. When Kagura had joined Fairy Tail she'd nearly killed the whole guild with her gravity, but Bisca forgave quickly. For anyone to make Bisca this on edge was an achievement, which meant Flare was nothing but trouble.

"God, I'm so bored. Anyone wanna go on a job with me?" Lia asked, flopping so she was laying down on the rug. Bisca chuckled and shook her head.

"I'm staying with Alzack 'til he gets better, sorry Lia." The blonde then rolled to her stomach and spun so she was facing the circle, pouting in annoyance.

"I'm bartending and I'd like to stay doing that for a little while, maybe in a few more weeks?" Kinana said. Lia made a loud hmph noise and jutted her index finger to Kagura. The black haired girl grinned slightly.

"Sure, I'd love to go on a job with you." Lia the raised her hand victoriously and held up the guild sign.

"About fucking time! Let's go look at the board!"

* * *

"So, what were you thinking?" Kagura asked as she and Lia stood in front of the massive job board. For months it had been brimming with papers layered on top of papers, back to the hustle and bustle of old Fairy Tail. The jobs ranged from easy little things to long form adventures, and Lia wasn't quite sure which one she wanted to embark upon. Her eyes glanced up the staircase to the second floor, and she wished she had been good enough to make it to S class last year. But she would get her hands on it eventually, that she was sure of.

"Are we looking for something that would be challenging, or simple? Also, do we want to pick something that compliments our magics well?" Kagura continued to ask questions as Lia partially ignored her, the blonde's eyes skimming the thick text on each pamphlet. The huge fonts for reward money didn't necessarily interest her, she wanted something else entirely. And there it was.

"That one," Lia stated as she hoisted her index finger towards a small white leaf of paper. It was easily swallowed by the huge yellow scrolls hung around it, but it's value was possibly far greater than the jobs around it. Kagura, who was slightly taller than Lia, stepped in and tore it off of its pin. She held it where the two girls could look over the contents in detail, and their eyes skimmed over each letter in unison.

 _To Whom It May Concern,_

 _I own a railroad company and currently wish to hire a magical security detail to oversee the production of a track that runs across the border of Magnolia until completion. The job would be two weeks in length, and the pay would be good. Have your guild master message me your interest._

"Eight million jewel, huh? Not bad," Lia said happily. Kagura nodded her head and looked at the included map, showing where they would be headed.

"It seems far, I'd like to travel a bit. See the countryside and the likes. I say we do it." The two smiled at each other and carved a path through the hall towards the guild master, who sat on his usual barstool enjoying a tankard of ale. Natsu was mulling over budgets and politics in the back of his mind, surveying the hall in a distracted manner as he leaned back against the bar. He almost didn't notice them approach, but he snapped out of his business mind quickly and focused on the two.

"Hey, what's going on?" He asked as he put his tankard on the bar. He gave his guild mates a warm smile. Kagura passed the paper forward and he looked over it quickly, taking in the details succinctly.

"Alright, sounds good. I'll let the guy know. When do you wanna take off?" Kagura and Lia looked at each other quickly and both knew.

"Tonight, probably." Lia then gave Natsu a smile back, the kind Natsu had seen once or twice before. He didn't let it alter his outward appearance, but inside he was a tad bit frightened.

"Perfect. Kick ass and make the guild proud!" He exclaimed happily. Kagura nodded her head and made a quick bow.

"Thanks for the blessing, master," Lia trilled which she followed with a small wink. The girls turned and marched out down the main path through the hall. Natsu frowned and picked his tankard back up.

"She's definitely into you," Warren said as he appeared from out of nowhere beside Natsu's stool. The guild master sighed and sank further into his stool, drinking the last of his ale in a disappointed chug.

"It's only been a few weeks. I don't need this kind of drama right now." Warren nodded his head and patted Natsu's shoulder.

"Yeah, I totally get it. You need time to recuperate and recover, and a rebound is never the answer. It'll just confuse you more, so I totally agree with your decision." Natsu set down his mug with a loud metallic thump and stretched his arms.

"I think I'm gonna go get some work done, I've got a shit ton of paperwork to do." Natsu removed himself from his seat and shook hands with Warren before he went off towards the small hall that led to his study. He looked to his feet and continued to think about the problems plaguing his life when he felt his shoulder bump into something.

"Oh, sorry," he said on autopilot. He looked up and his eyes locked with the wild and terrifying gaze of Flare. "Didn't see you there, Flare. Was kinda out of it."

"It's no problem, master." Natsu looked at the crimson gloves that clung to her pale skin and followed them up to where they broke with her elbows, which unfortunately put his eyes in the general vicinity of her cleavage. He looked back up at her eyes, not sure which was the worse thing to be looking at. "Oh, by the way." Flare began. "Can I see the job paper Lia and Kagura took? I wanted a job with a flyer that looked similar and I want to see if they snatched it up." Natsu reached into his pocket and extracted the paper for her, handing it off. He then grumbled some quick words of apologies once again and ducked into the stairwell. He didn't know what was happening to him.

He felt broken, but whole. He felt intense desires, but at the same time he wanted to be alone. He trudged down the steps and pushed open the doors to his office. He sat himself in his chair and pulled a journal and pen from the mahogany desk at the center of the room, opening the book to a blank page. He scribbled in legible handwriting, cataloging his feelings and the events of the day. The journal had been a suggestion from Warren, and it was certainly helping with Natsu's mental state. As he wrote, images flashed through his mind. Jenny smiling at him, her beautiful body. Her beautiful body when they were united in the throws of passion… Lia's blonde hair, Flare's massive chest. He dropped his pen and ran a hand through his hair. This was no good. He opened another drawer and pulled out a _Weekly Sorcerer_ edition, flipping around for bikini pages. He had desires, and he needed to satisfy them.

Back in the guild hall, Flare swung into a secluded corner and eyed the paper excitedly. She giggled as a paper doll floated up behind her.

"Yes master, I know where they're going. And I know who's going. Send Obra." And with that Flare broke into cathartic laughter.

 **One Week Later, Near the Border of Magnolia**

Lia opened her eyes slowly. She had shifted in her sleep and had rolled over, and now her head was laying on Kagura's stomach. It pulsated with her breathing and rhythmically rose then lowered. It felt soothing, but Lia didn't want to be caught like this. She flipped over and pulled herself out of her bedroll, yawning as the light began to shine through the canvas of the tent. She wiped the line of drool off of her chin and pulled on a shirt from the knapsack beside her. She stole another look at Kagura, who even in sleep looked like a goddess. Lia exhaled in frustration and unzipped the tent flap, exiting into the cool morning air. Off in the distance a pillar of smoke rose from where the construction crew was cooking their breakfast, but further out where Lia and Kagura had made camp insects were fluttering and buzzing and the dew was undisturbed.

She flicked her wrist and two metal blades scraped against each other, sparking and lighting the kindling that lay inside their fire pit. It rose up into a small plume of fire, and with another gesture a metal spike skewered a log and set it on top of the growing fire. A creek bubbled vivaciously a few yards away, and with a point of her index finger a metal bowl flew into the water, scooped up a good amount, and then returned to hover over the fire. Lia went about trying to tame her hair, brushing furiously as the water simmered them boiled. Lia pulled a bag of brown beans from her food crate and set them in a strainer, moving the boiling water over and dumping it through.

Several minutes later, Kagura exited the tent looking tired and asleep. She rubbed at her eyes and glanced at Lia.

"Drinking that stuff again?" Lia scoffed as she raised the metal cup to her lips, sipping quietly as she prodded at the sizzling bacon cooking atop a griddle.

"It's called coffee, and it's my life." Kagura chuckled and sat beside Lia, leaning her head against the blonde's shoulder. "Hey, you're bigger than me. I should be leaning on you."

"Yeah, you're older than me, though. And I'm still asleep…" Kagura cooed as she faded out of being awake. Her head slumped but then she snapped back awake.

Lia laughed and handed Kagura a plate of eggs and bacon. The black haired girl took it thankfully and scarfed it down quickly.

"Another day of fucking boredom, huh?" Lia asked as she finished her own plate. Kagura sighed and leaned back against the grass, using her elbows to keep her torso elevated.

"I guess, some of the railway workers are attractive though. At least I think so." Lia smiled and looked to her partner in surprise.

"Woah! Did I hear you right? I didn't know you had it in you!" The gravity mage laughed back and sat backup, crossing her legs in front of her.

"Shut up, it's not like I'm going to try to fuck any of them. I have class," Kagura taunted. Lia took the bait and playfully tackled Kagura, tickling at her opponents hips. Kagura cried out in laughter and the two wrestled on the grass for a few minutes, before both grew tired and sat back up. Off in the distance, the whistle blew and men started to file out of the camp across the clearing. Lia and Kagura looked at each other and sighed. It was time to go to work.

They went back into the tent and equipped their gear. Lia zipped up her bodysuit and made sure all of the blades and metal plates were fastened securely. Kagura pulled her white gloves on, tied her bow, and slid her wrapped sword into her belt. The two locked eyes and stepped out looking like proper badasses.

It was a short walk from base camp to the site, where already men were tirelessly laying the wooden planks and securing them into the ground. Hammers rose and plunged into iron divots, smashing through wood and drilling into the dirt. Other workers hauled the metal tracks that were being clicked together, while welders bustled along securing them to each other.

There was slight breeze, which to the girls and workers was salvation under the hot sun. A woman covered in soot and dust passed by Kagura and Lia, offering water. They took it happily and continued their patrol of the track construction, heading towards a tall hill where the surveyor was busy planning the logistics of the build. They walked beside a line of workers who were shuffling up the hill towards the tent. Today was payday.

Up by the tent a table had been set up where a woman was busy scrawling signatures and handing envelopes of jewel to the workers who approached. Behind her lay a huge chest brimming with currency.

"So this is why we're here…" Lia whispered to herself. Today was the first payday, so this was the first time either of the Fairy Tail wizards were getting a view of the valuables. They then moved back down the hill and continued their slow patrol, appreciating the weather and the easy job they had. Lia couldn't deny it was a bit boring, more boring than she had hoped. There was a satisfaction in it, but nothing like defeating a dark guild or winning a tough fight.

Kagura didn't mind the change of pace though. After seeing the horrors of real combat, being able to walk around a pretty field in the nice weather was great. And being paid for it was icing on the cake.

"Hey, Lia? What's your favorite fruit?" Kagura asked suddenly, breaking the silence between the two. Lia blinked several times but answered with a light grin.

"I love berries. Any kind of berries. What about you?" Kagura held her hands behind her back and looked up at the puffy clouds in the sky.

"I like grapes a lot. The purple ones, not the green ones. Berries are nice too, though." The two ambled around the site for several more hours, conversing and making small talk. Truthfully, though they had been friends for a long while now, neither of them knew the simple things about each other. It was nice to be able to share. Their favorite foods, colors, their plans for the future. Dreams, fears, and everything in between.

The sun began its descent and the whistle sounded. Kagura and Lia followed the wave of sweaty and tired workers back to camp, splitting off to trudge to their tent. Lia started a fire and Kagura gathered the meat.

As the magnet mage spun the spigot, cooking the chicken, the two's eyes followed the embers into the evening skies. This was tranquil. And tranquility was something neither had felt in a very long time.

"Kagura, what do you remember about your family?" Lia asked. She knew that her partner had a very tragic backstory, but she wanted to know it. Kagura pulled off her gloves and rubbed her hands in the warmth of the fire. Looking into the flames brought back the memories of the night she had lost them all.

"I don't remember much about my parents. They were kind. My brother and I never wanted for anything, we were happy. I remember my brother clearly. His smile. He took care of me, but also taught me how to take care of myself. I miss him… And then, someone else. The night the cult came to take us away I would've been enslaved too. But someone saved me. I don't remember much, just her scarlet hair and strong aura." Tears crept into the corner of Kagura's eyes as the fire danced, and the images inside it shifted and pitched. Simon was the only thing she saw. Lia frowned and slid down the log, wrapping her arms around Kagura.

"I had two brothers, and my dad. My mother died when I was very young. I'm the youngest, and the rest of my family were all guards for Magnolia. One day, right after Natsu became guild master, he left the city for something. I don't know what, I didn't even know I had magic abilities back then. But he left and a group of evil men came and turned the city into a nightmare. My brothers and dad tried to retake it, but I lost all of them…"

The two sat in each others arms for a long time, staring into the crackling fire. The cooking meat sizzled and filled their nostrils with pleasant smells, but the two were too distant to notice.

"I think I understand this guild now," Kagura whispered. "We all have dead people, but we deal with it." She sniffled and rubbed her eyes. But through it she was smiling. "Let's eat, Lia." The blonde girl smiled and nodded, and the friends got to it.

* * *

Alzack was back in his hospital bed for the weekly check-up. He was discharged several weeks ago but the damage was so extensive that Porlyusica needed him to return weekly so she could rebuild the lost tissue. The session was over for today, so he was free to go home in the morning. But for now, he laid and stared at the ceiling. He reached up with his left hand and saw the ring glitter in the candlelight. A huge smile bloomed across his face. This injury was a small road bump, and the greatest adventure in his life was about to start. He radiated nothing but positivity and joy. He couldn't wait to be fully healed so he could fuck Bisca again, it had been far too long.

And think of the devil, the devil appears. In the candlelight Alzack saw the door crack open and a familiar green-haired beauty entered the room. She was sporting a simple bathrobe, and her hair was down and messy. Her face was bare of any make-up, and in her hands she clutched a small box.

"Hey, honey. Glad you're awake," She said with a smile. Bisca grabbed the back of a

nearby chair and lifted it up, moving it directly beside her fiance. She set it down and took a seat. "I got you a gift," she declared, setting the box down on Alzack's lap. He looked from his beautiful partner to the box with a smile and he carefully maneuvered his arms to the sides.

His eyes peered into the inside of the box as the lid popped off. It was too dark to make out what was down there, so he gingerly reached in and his fingertips brushed against something cold. Something metal. Alzack looked up at his fiance and smiled, lifting it out as he did so. And then it was revealed. A revolver, but very much unlike his current weapon. It had a larger and more square barrel, and the handle was fitted with an engraving that he couldn't see in the dim light. It was impressive. But then Bisca gestured with her head for him to look again. Alzack put his hand into the box and his eyes widened. A second revolver, identical to the first. He held them both and wrapped his fingers around the handles, sticking his index fingers against the triggers. He liked the weight, and they felt nice.

"Baby, I… I can't believe this, these are so nice!" Alzack looked up and found Bisca's face waiting for him, and then she leaned forward, touching her lips to his.

* * *

"It's showtime." Lia slid on her suit and Kagura did likewise. For the first time this whole week and a half process there was some action. They sprinted out of the tent and charged across the clearing, gazing into the distance where several silhouettes stood.

"These guys are done for!" Kagura exclaimed to her partner, the excitement present in her voice. Lia nodded and jumped up, several metal plates sliding beneath her feet to form into a board. Kagura watched her blonde partner soar off at an incredible pace. And with that the gravity mage figured now was as good a time as any to test something. She lessened her own gravity and bounded off the ground. Just as she had hoped, her body catapulted upward and arched through the air over lia and towards where the stick up men were headed.

The seven heisters stopped at the base of the hill and looked up in awe. A girl clad in white landed atop the grass and stared down at them condescendingly. She took a step forward and drew a sword wrapped in cloth.

Then, from behind them, a blonde girl dressed in black and silver hit the ground and a circle of spinning blades glinted behind her back.

"Hey, boys. I think you're lost." Lia grinned but the men across from her chuckled. They split in half, three charging up the hill towards Kagura and the other three running at Lia. The one in the middle began to glow and he spun into the air, surging with electrical power.

Kagura increased her gravity and put one foot forward, sliding down the slope of the hill. The lightning wizard fired a bolt at her but she moved her inertia into a forward roll and evaded. She then sprung back onto her feet and brought her sword up to block a mace made of pure fire. Another of the villains approached with his fists coated in ice, swinging wide with a hook towards her.

Kagura spun and dropped her sword, letting the man with the mace fall due to her gravity, and then she planted her sword in the ground and pushed up. Both of her feet shot through the air and she kicked the ice man in the chest, sending him backwards rolling down the hill. The third of her enemies wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled at her, his muscles pulsing. Kagura figured he had some sort of strength amplifier, which explained why he moved so easily in her increased gravity field. She stuck her heel up backwards and slammed him in his family jewels, to which he collapsed immediately. With a swipe of her sword both he and the fire mace wizard were both tossed down the side of the hill.

Lia lowered her center and traced a shape in the air as the men sprinted at her. Several dulled blades raced into position and knocked them all off of their feet. The lightning mage looked from Kagura to Lia and fired a long bolt in her direction. Lia grinned and willed a pole forward, which acted as a conductor and crackled as the lightning raced into it. She then hurled it forward, colliding with the airborne mage and shocking him. He fell to the ground a sparking and charred mess. Lia and Kagura looked at their handiwork and then at each other with broad smiles.

"That felt like it was too easy, to be honest." Lia stated. Kagura nodded. The blonde girl hunched over one of the fallen heisters and inspected the guild mark on his arm. It looked similar to Fairy Tail's, except the creature looked like a purple raven.

"What is it?" Kagura asked as she trotted up to where Lia was standing. They were silent for a brief period, but something in the air changed. Something foul. They looked up simultaneously and saw that on the top of the hill, atop the overseers tent, a dark figure stood in the breeze. A black trench coat flapped and its face was shadowed by a wide top hat. All they could see beneath was a long and pointed nose, more similar to a bird beak than anything a human would be born with.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Lia asked in annoyance. The figure didn't utter a word, it merely stepped off the side of the tent and fluttered down to the grass of the hill. Suddenly, Lia's metal began to fall to the grass with muffled thuds, the only blades still attached being the ones in her suit. Her blue eyes widened in shock and she tried to pick the material back up, but it wouldn't budge. It was like her magic had been dampened.

The figure was now in clearer view, which only made it scarier. It's skin was pale blue and its eyes were lifeless black spheres, almost as if they had been sewn on after this beasts' creation. The hair behind its head was black and oily, and the entire thing stood several heads above either of the girls.

Kagura attempted to exert gravity on it, but she found that her magic as well wasn't working. All the while the being stalked towards them. The dread was mounting. Behind it, some of the heisters got to their feet.

"Hey, Obra's finally here!" The men began to whoop and holler, before scrambling back up the hill towards the tent. Kagura knew they had to be stopped. She charged, readying her sword. With her speed and force she jabbed the weapon at Obra, who caught it nonchalantly in one hand. Kagura's eyes widened as Obra's palm smacked her in the chest, sending her vaulting backwards in pain. Lia cried out angrily and rushed for her friend, but out of nowhere Obra landed in front of her and put his palm on her face.

The images were blurry and unclear, but Lia could see the men making off with the chest of jewel. Obra turned and his trench coat fluttered as he shambled away from the two prone Fairy Tail mages. Tears streamed down Lia's cheeks as the ramifications were realized in her mind. She had just failed a job. She had failed Fairy Tail.


	25. Chapter 25- More Confusion

**Chapter 25- More Confusion**

"What the fuck is wrong with me…?" Natsu asked angrily. He was sitting alone in his bed, staring emptily into the night sky. It was becoming somewhat of a tradition for him. All he wanted to do was get it off his mind. Get it all out. All of the sadness and loneliness and fear and anxiety. He couldn't get drunk, so his only option was sex. And that's all he could think about. Carnal pleasures. He could still feel it, the way he fucked Jenny. The way she bounced and shone and the way it all smelled. He could see it, hear it. He tightened himself into a ball and shook violently. This was unfair. He didn't want to think about the sad things, but this wasn't a good replacement.

And Fairy Tail being filled with nubile young women didn't help this. And the icing on the cake was Natsu's own age. He wasn't some adult, and these girls were forbidden fruit. He had been forced into a position of nurturing and maturity by circumstance. Natsu smirked at the irony of it all. He hadn't reached his sexual awakening until it was wrong to actually do the deed.

He felt like he was going crazy, or like he was some sort of animal in heat. But it wasn't just his sex drive that was going out of control. He felt a weird urge to fight. To destroy. He hoped it was because he hadn't really fought anyone in months now, but he wasn't sure. Natsu was worried that there was something deeper inside of him that had been awakened, or was awakening.

He laid back down and stared at the ceiling, his soul hollow. This was all too much. He cast off his sheets and stalked through the dark living room. Sitting solemnly was a small construct of wood and metal. Natsu had bought it on a whim, but he needed something to pour time into. At least when he was at home, he couldn't be in the guild hall doing paperwork every hour of every day. Natsu sat himself in one of his rickety chairs and he grabbed the instrument. He wrapped his left hand around the neck and let his right hand run across the strings. He plucked each of them and the sound resonated within.

Natsu felt a small crack of a grin tinge at his lips and he used his left hand to grip a note, and he played it shakily. The sound rung out in his home, and with the inklings of a real and genuine smile Natsu continued strumming his guitar into the late hours of the night.

* * *

"Let's go on a job, I'm so bored," Jet said with a yawn. Droy and Max were leaning back in their chairs with their feet kicked up, both lounging. Without Levy, Shadow Gear had sort of turned into a trio of lazy guys. Droy was starting to put on weight, and the three of them all felt like their magical skills were becoming more dull.

"A job? Like, what kind?" Droy asked. Jet scratched at the stubble on his chin and peered over to the job board. Nobody was there, save Flare, so he figured they could go take a look.

"You know, I actually agree," Max stated. "But let's make it a real job, not some dumbass errand or chore for someone. I wanna go on something cool."

"Kagura and Lia just got their asses beat doing a 'cool' job, man. I don't know about that…" Droy interjected. Jet and Max disregarded that opinion entirely and stood themselves up.

"Come on, let's go take a look at that board!" Jet made a little percussion beat with his palms against the table, and excitedly sped over to the wall of paper leaflets. It took his groupmates a tad longer to arrive, seeing as they didn't have any speed amplification, but they got there all the same.

There were so many to choose from. All over, different colors and varying sizes of paper. But they all seemed similar in that they were lacking difficulty. Fetching things, cleaning things, everything like that was a no go for Jet and Max. Jet's eyes scanned across the words almost as fast as he could run, and they stopped after he spotted something.

"Hey, boys, look at this one!" Jet reached up and pulled it out of its pin, but he kept it held high enough for all three to see at once. "All we've gotta do is deliver a family heirloom from here to a nearby city. It seems like an easy chore job, but the payout is nuts! It says to expect bandits, too."

"Sounds perfect to me," Max said quickly. Droy shook his head sadly but he knew that his vote didn't count here. None of them noticed Flare staring expectantly at the job over their shoulders, giggling under her breath.

"Alright, let's go take it to Natsu I guess," Droy sighed. Max and Jet slapped their friend on the back and the trio marched towards the bar. A familiar paper doll fluttered up to Flare and she quickly informed on the where and when. It was far too easy setting these people up.

Over across the guild hall, Natsu smiled at his guild members as they approached him excitedly. The jobs were flowing and so was the money, so he had everything in the world to be satisfied about. As a guild master, maybe. Not so much as an adolescent human being.

"Whatcha guys got?" He asked. They handed the paper over and the fourth master gave Shadow Gear his blessing. Natsu watched the three of them eagerly exit the hall, and felt a tinge of pride. Not too much, cuz they were still the lazy dumbasses they always had been, but they were setting out to make the guild proud. To Natsu, that was always respectable.

 **A Town Not Too Far, Later That Day**

Nab hadn't been gone long. He'd taken this job two days previously, and it seemed cut and dry. There was a group of mountain bandits who'd stolen some stuff from the town, and he had to go bring justice. Simple.

Nab finished his meal and placed a handful of jewel on the table, waving to the hostess with a friendly smile. He couldn't go to battle on an empty stomach. The town was small and quaint, with tiled roofs and adobe walls. The whole place was nestled in a little prairie, right beside a range of rolling hills. And hidden inside these hills was a bandit camp. Nab smiled and nodded his head to all he passed, it seemed as if the attitude of the town was friendly and welcoming. Nab enjoyed it.

He walked out beneath the decorated arch of the town wall and exited into the fields of golden grass. It swayed in the gentle breeze and Nab enjoyed the shade provided by the occasional tree. Small insects chirped and hopped around as the day went on. It was therapeutic.

The walk was a long one, but a welcome one. The sun sank lower into the sky, until the whole horizon was tinged in pinks and oranges. It was then that Nab shifted into his tiger stance and lowered himself into the tall grass, his eyes peeking right above the line of swaying vegetation. He picked up the scent immediately. It was still a fair distance away, but it was now tangible to him.

He stalked like a predator through the brush and crept until he could see the embers rising in the distance, and the faint glow of a campfire. Down below, between several hills was a stockade of large tree trunks sharpened at the top. In the center he saw the cones of tents and the plume of smoke. This was it.

Nab mulled over his options briefly. He had several ways of going about this, and they each had different appeals. He could brute force with bear stance. He could stealth it with tiger stance, or he could try a combination. He figured a combination would be the best practice. He leapt off his perch and bound across the field, using his palms to quicken his pace as he hunched his back.

Behind the stockade there were two rickety towers of wood upon which archers sat watchful. The visibility was low, so none of them noticed the rustling grass that was approaching their encampment. Nab grinned and quickly turned to his eagle stance. He coiled his legs like springs and bound upwards, flapping his arms once to streamline himself. He shot into the air and landed atop the first tower, his feet impacting with the shoulders of the archer. The guard was brought down in a thump, and wasting no time Nab then leapt across the gap and swung at the second archer. The bandit crumpled and flew off the tower tumbling with a cry of pain as he landed on top of the largest tent.

All hell broke loose. Mages scrambled out of their tents and up to action, tossing spells and magic into the air towards Nab. The Fairy Tail wizard flung himself down and rolled, quickly switching to bear stance. He furiously struck several enemies and tossed them around the camp. A huge iron sword flew towards him and he shifted into turtle, blocking the damage. A quick turn to phoenix stance allowed him to shoot a pillar of flame in a ring, lighting the wooden stockade and dry grass ablaze.

The bandits flew into a panic and began to exit by any means possible, ditching their posts without a second thought. But out of the shadows came one specific bandit. He was a massive man and shirtless, full of bulging muscles and scars. He grimaced and pulled a battleaxe from behind him, and charged with a roar.

The weapon cut through the air and Nabbed sidestepped, but to his surprise the bandit chief swung his free hand and punched. The fist stopped middair and a shockwave ruptured through the air, striking Nab and sending him back. The bandit chief plowed forward and swung his axe again, but Nab rolled and dodged the blade. The man yelled and punched once more, but Nab kept rolling and he dodged the shockwave as well. In eagle stance he leapt above the blazing camp and perched on one of the towers. A shockwave ripped into the air and Nab changed position, the tower where he once stood being ripped to splinters.

To the bandit chief's dismay, he was now ringed in flames. His visibility was cut off and he could feel his skin tingle. He looked up once more and couldn't spot his foe. It was then that Nab leapt forth in turtle stance and tackled the chief to the ground, hurling strong punches to the man's skull. It was only three strikes and the bandit was out cold. Nab smiled and changed to phoenix stance. With a few swipes of his arms the fire collected around him and was put out.

And with the fire gone he spotted the trove of village treasure. Perfect, easy job. But there was someone else standing next to it. A blonde haired, hunchback dwarf with a chin the size of a baby.

"Who the fuck are you?" Nab asked. He was tired and didn't feel like fighting another weirdo.

"I'm Nullpudding, and I'm here to take this," Nullpudding said, gesturing to the loot. Nab chuckled and cracked his knuckles.

"Not on my watch you aren't!" It was then that Nab noticed the emblem on the man's white cape. It was the raven, the same one that had been on the men who attacked Lia and Kagura. Nab felt his anger swell and his bear stance came unbidden. "You… your guild hurt my friends…"

"I think we did, yes, and more of it is to come! Now, how about you try to stop me!" Nab obliged, trundling forward with his fists up. Nullpudding flared his needles and Nab skewed his first fist. He cried out in pain as blood poured out like rain and drenched the grass. He pulled back and switched to his phoenix stance, healing up the wounds. But Nullpudding wasn't going to give him reprieve. He threw and elbow forward and punched several holes into Nab's gut.

Nab reached a hand out and blew flame at the blonde, wreathing him in fire. Nullpudding screamed and hopped back, each of the two spending valuable time fixing themselves before the next phase began. But Nullpudding was quicker. He delivered a quick jab followed by a right cross, and then finished with a thunderous uppercut. Each hit tore into Nab and opened the lawful wizard up, and after the uppercut he collapsed to the ground, pouring his life into the dirt. Nullpudding laughed and spat on his opponent.

"Weakling," the Raven Tail mage taunted as he turned around. This was far too easy.

* * *

Lia grunted and a hail of blades pierced the training doll, after which she twisted both of her wrists and the blades spun inside the doll, disemboweling the straw inside. She quickly turned the blades and cut a second training doll into several pieces, and moved to a third. Her rage was palpable. She had been utterly humiliated, and anger was her only coping mechanism.

She fell to her knees and began to pummel her fist into the soft dirt, kicking up dust that entered her throat and forced her into a fit of coughing. She couldn't understand her own feelings, or why she had them. And why the hell did she have magic? She got it too late to save her family, and perhaps too soon to be of any use to Fairy Tail.

She heard the door shut behind her, meaning someone had come out to the practice ground. With a sigh she returned to her feet and dusted her legs off. Spinning on one heel, she was surprised to see the guild master before her. Lia could see the worry in his eyes.

"Hey, if you're mad at yourself about the job, don't be…"

"Oh come on, fuck off," Lia cut in angrily. Natsu was caught off guard by the venom in her words. "When was the last time anyone in this guild failed a _real_ job? Not like 'oh shit I misplaced this stick I had to shove in my ass' or something like that?! Huh?! I fucked up! I fucked up, and I was powerless! I couldn't do jack shit about it! You know what that fucking feels like? I just stood there and couldn't do jack shit about it!" Lia didn't even realize how loud she had gotten. She was screaming, and the metal around her had risen into the air unbidden. Natsu stood silently. After a monet his shoulders lowered and his posture deflated. His eyes lost their caring worry and became replaced with something hollow, something Lia had never seen before in the year she had known him.

"Lia, I know exactly what it feels like. Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. Venting to Warren is helpful, I'll leave you alone." Natsu turned and trudged back into the guild hall slowly. Lia put a hand over her mouth and took a step back. What had she done? Natsu, The Fourth Master, salamander, had looked broken. It was one of the most demoralizing sights she had seen since the desert.

Lia looked up at the sky and saw that grey clouds were rolling over the lake and towards Magnolia. It seemed almost poetic.

 **The Next Morning, On The Road**

"Okay, okay. Marry, fuck, kill. Erza, Lucy, Mira," Jet asked. The group had been traveling for some time now, taking turns carrying the backpack where the family armor they were delivering was kept.

"Damn, that's super hard… I mean, wife Mira up for sure," Droy said after some deep thought. "But like, I don't know. Obviously I'd fuck both, but in the long run I feel like Erza is too scary and I'd lose my dick or something, so Lucy."

"Marry Erza, what the hell? She'd protect you forever, you get to fuck her a lot, she has hella nice clothes, _and_ she loves cake. That's the superior choice, and as for fuck… Bro Lucy is **thicc** , plus she got them fine as hell spirits to bring out too! Like damn!"

The three laughed and kept up their pace, with Jet handing over the pack to Droy. The sun was just reaching a high place, so the cool air was fast turning to heat.

"Okay, I've got a good one. Who has the best ass in the guild?" Droy asked. The boys quieted down to ponder, each reviewing the various posteriors in their minds.

"Shit, that's hard… You know… Have you guys found it weird that like the majority of the girls in the guild have like huge boobs but no ass? Or like, less ass." They all stopped and looked at each other. It was a strange coincidence to be sure.

"Yeah, I've noticed that too. But whatever, right? Lia has a fantastic ass, definitely lacking in the chest area though."

"I agree, Bisca's is nice, too." And with that they continued walking. There conversation about women continued for another few minutes, but contrary to many women's beliefs, men aren't capable of talking about women's bodies for longer than fifteen to twenty minutes.

"Guys, do you think they're coming back?" Droy asked out of the blue. He was staring up at the poofy white clouds. Back in Magnolia it had been raining, so the nicer weather was appreciated. The question took the other two by surprise. They knew who he was referring to instantly, of course, and Max wetted his lips before answering.

"I don't know. It's been a year. I feel like they will eventually, but that might not be within my lifetime. I wanna believe Natsu and hold out hoping, but honestly how long can somebody wait?"

"I agree," said Jet. "If we had just waited and sat by we would've fallen into obscurity and not been able to get good jobs or even afford the guild hall. I'm glad that we didn't twiddle our thumbs, but with that being said… God I miss Levy so much, and I miss all of them. I want them to come back, but I feel like they would have already. For the last year every morning I woke up and thought 'this is gonna be the day!' But it never was, so why would it ever change?"

"That's a pessimistic outlook…" Droy whispered. The conversation didn't have time to continue, though. From the edge of the woods on their right a cart sped onto the path, barreling towards them. A bandit leaned out of the side swinging a flail and he tossed it forward.

Max threw up a wall of sand that stopped the incoming steel, and Droy cast a handful of seeds into the road. An enormous wall of vines shot up and lifted the cart into the air, twisting and shaking all of the bandits out and to the ground. Jet sped into them and quickly bound them all with offshoots of the vine.

"Job well done!" He announced over his shoulder to his comrades. But that wasn't the end of it. A black figure sped out of the forest and landed a right cross on Jet's jaw, sending him back. Max and Droy rushed at him. He was tall and slender, with pale white skin and jet black hair. He certainly looked like a freak.

The strange man sped as quickly as Jet, seeming to possess speed magic himself. He threw a punch at Max but the Fairy Tail mage used a torrent of sand to create space. To Max's surprise, however, the pale man then created a torrent of his own sand and used it to create a scythe attack that struck all three of Shadow Gear's members.

He then threw his wrist forward an a cloud of seeds hit the ground, forming into a vine that tore the bag off of Droy's back. It tossed the bag to the stranger, who tucked it under his arm and ran.

"Stop him!" Max roared. He sent a huge wave of sand at the absconding foe, upon which several seeds lay. Jet followed the wave and hooped up, landing on top of several huge saguaro cacti that had grown from it, and he leapt into the air. He had a good angle and he fell towards the opponent, who tried to create a sand attack of his own in response, but Jet was able to maneuver himself mid air. He sprinted down the side of the sand pillar and put his foot on the man's face, knocking him to the ground.

Jet raised his fist to deliver another hit but stopped when he noticed the Raven guild mark on the man's clothes. That window proved to be a mistake for Jet. The Raven Tail mage flipped upward and delivered an uppercut that was accompanied by a sand attack, knocking Jet backwards and out of consciousness. He then rounded on Max and Droy who were still a fair distance away. A tornado of sand swelled around them and cacti ripped out from all sides, smacking into the remainder of Shadow Gear and quickly dropping them to the ground in pain. The evil wizard cackled and left the scene. A paper doll fluttered by him.

"Kurohebi, is it done?" The doll asked. The man in question, Kurohebi, nodded his head.

"Yes, master Ivan, I've done it. We can begin phase two very soon…"

* * *

Natsu wished he could do more, but he figured in this case Lia had to solve her own problems. He wanted to be a supportive guild master, but sometimes some people needed to rely solely on themselves. But right now his attention was on someone else. Flare was always sitting alone. It had been a few weeks now. It didn't seem like she had any friends. Natsu finished his ale and slowly made his way over to her table.

She looked up at him with those wild eyes and crazy smile. Natsu figured this was the reason she had yet to make any meaningful bonds. He put one hand on the table and smiled back at her.

"Hey, Flare, how're you doing?" He asked nicely. Flare looked down for a second pensively and then back up.

"I'm great, master." Natsu nodded his head slowly and pulled out the chair across from her. He sat down and leaned forward, leaning his elbows on the wood.

"Tell me about yourself." Flare seemed to be taken aback by Natsu's request. She hadn't expected it, and honestly didn't know how to answer. Natsu saw the turmoil in her eyes and bit his lip.

"Well… I guess…" Flare leaned back and looked up at the ceiling blankly. Her lip quivered. Natsu knew at once that this girl was far more complex than he'd initially thought. "My family…I left them." Flare tried again, but her eyes welled with tears. Natsu put a hand on her bare shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Come with me, I want to show you something." Natsu stood back up and gestured for Flare to follow him. He led her down to his office, and he opened the door with a push. Flare followed him in and looked around at the walls where large photos of tons of mages were hung. She didn't know any of them, but she saw that Natsu was in most of the photos with them. They were all Fairy Tail wizards, but she'd never seen any of them around in the guild hall.

"Who are they?" She asked quietly. Natsu leaned back against his desk and looked around at the photos as well. The Strauss family, Team Natsu, Gildarts, Cana, Makarov, Laxus. They were all there.

"My family. They're gone, too. Something terrible happened last year and I lost them all. I don't want to sound cliche or contrived, but Fairy Tail is like you. We've all lost people, and are just people coping. We're here for each other. And for you. So tell me about your family, Flare." Flare's eyes teared up once more and she clutched her right arm with her left hand. Why was he so nice? She suddenly felt very guilty about what she was doing.

"Well… I was raised in the Sun Village. It's a tribe of giants. But I'm not a giant, so I left to find people like me. But now, I'm lonely I guess. I miss them all. And…" She wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him about Raven Tail and Ivan the plan, but she couldn't. These people were nothing like Ivan described. She thought everyone who wasn't from her village innately hated this guild, but here their master was being kind to her in a way nobody else had been in the human world.

"Thanks for sharing, Flare. I know it can be hard, but we're all here for you." Natsu got up and strode past her. "Now, let's go back up."

The two went back into the guild hall with smiles on their faces. And for the first time Flare's smile wasn't a psychotic and intimidating one, it seemed real. And this detail wasn't missed by a certain blonde. Lia slumped and looked at Bisca.

"Just apologize, it's not that hard. Or are you _that_ prideful?" Bisca asked with a sigh. Lia pouted and cradled her glass of beer. The blonde knew that the older girl was right, of course, but Lia was in fact prideful as hell.

"I guess. I might, we'll see."

* * *

Natsu sat alone in his house, staring at a photograph of Team Natsu. God he missed them. He would give anything to have them back. Gray's banter, Lucy's attitude, Erza's caretaking, and Happy. He missed Happy the most.

He heard a knock at his door. A smile formed on his face. Only one person really knew where he lived, and honestly he enjoyed Bisca's company. He felt like they were very alike, and maybe this time he would open up to her. Natsu strode to his door and twisted it open, but to his surprise, the girl standing in the rain did not have green hair. Her wet blonde hair clung to her body and her raincoat was thoroughly drenched.

"Oh, hey, Lia…" Natsu stumbled as he opened the door wider so she could enter. He was certainly confused. "Um, how did-"

"Natsu, I came to apologize. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you, I know that you've got so many of your own demons and that they're way worse than mine and it was wrong of me to take out my frustration on you!" Lia spit it all out in a stream but suddenly found herself embraced by the fourth master.

"Lia, I forgive you." He let her go and gestured to the coat rack. Lia smiled and took off the wet garment, hanging it to dry. Underneath she wore thick sweatpants and long shirt. "I'll get a fire started, you want anything to drink?" Natsu asked. She nodded and Natsu took down a kettle and pouches of cocoa powder. With a breath the fireplace roared to life with warmth and Lia sat down in front of it.

"You know," Natsu began. "I don't think comparing problems is necessarily right. Sure, I've had it rough, but that doesn't mean you've had it less rough than me. It's all about how you feel, so you don't need to tell yourself to feel better because I have 'more problems.' And I get snapping, some days I wish I could too." Lia looked up at Natsu as he hung the kettle over the fire. He looked sad, but at peace. She then looked over him and her eyes spotted the musical instrument in the corner.

"You play the guitar?" She asked. Natsu glanced behind him at it and sighed. He placed the two mugs in his hands on the floor and moved to the corner where it sat.

"I'm learning, so I'm not good yet." He picked it up and handed it to Lia, who took it gratefully. She plucked at the strings curiously as Natsu pulled the kettle off and poured two mugs of cocoa for himself and Lia.

"What can you play?" The two locked eyes as Natsu traded her the guitar for a cup of warm hot chocolate.

"Nothing, really. Just little bits and pieces."

"Can you show me?"

Natsu reluctantly pulled a chair over and sat down, holding the guitar carefully. He strummed all the strings once and then began to pick at them with his fingers. It formed a little tune, and Natsu began to coo rhythmically.

"I been looking for someone to put up with my bullshit… I can't even leave my bedroom so I keep it pourin… And I ain't seen the light of day since, well, that's not important, it's been long." Lia was shocked. He was quickly turning from the confident and charming leader and caretaker to a tender and broken guy. She had known that this Natsu existed, but never figured she'd see it.

"And I was feeling Whitney me and my homies sipping Houston, cars and clothes thought I was winning you knew I was losing. You told me to wake up, oh, my clock always stays on snooze, and I'm done." His voice went from gruff to melodic, and he began to hit the notes perfectly. The emotion was raw in his voice, and Lia saw his eyes redden and begin to moisten.

"To each their own and, find peace in knowin, ain't always broken, but here's to hoping, show no emotion, against your coding, just act, as hard as you can. You don't need a friend, boy your the man." And Natsu resumed with oohs. Lia resonated with that one line. Show no emotion against your coding. He was trapped by his position. She finally understood. He had to be the father figure, the nurturer, the caretaker. He had to be the one everyone could depend on, but inside he was none of that. She looked down at her cocoa and sighed. She set it down and did something out of the ordinary.

Lia stood up and loomed over Natsu, and she leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the lips. He stopped and froze, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Thank you for everything, Natsu." The two stopped for a brief moment and looked at each other. To them, time froze. Natsu's mind raced. He had done it, he had opened up to someone. He hadn't used his own words, the song revealed his emotions and his spirit. And she had thanked him for it. Perhaps this was it, this was the solace he needed. To Lia, she had realized what Natsu was. And she had made a decision. Pursuing him as a romantic interest felt wrong. He was a human being who needed vastly more than that, and being a friend to him was far more valuable. Natsu had determined the same thing. They unfroze and both picked up their cocoa.

"No, Lia. Thank _you_."


	26. Chapter 26- Raven Tail

**Chapter 26- Raven Tail**

Flare was guilty. Nab had finally recovered from his wounds, Shadow Gear was healthy and out and about, and the only thing left damaged was their pride. Something Flare was instrumental in destroying. And not only that, but the second part of Ivan's plan was going to begin soon.

She wanted to tell Natsu what was about to happen, to warn him and this guild of kind people. But she was afraid, afraid that they would cast her out and that the kindness they were now showing her would dry up and disappear.

She was cowering alone behind one of the large wooden pillars, shaking violently. To her dismay, a small paper doll floated up in front of her.

"Flare, tomorrow is the big day. Are you prepared?" Flare bit her bottom lip and her mind raced. "Flare?" The doll asked once more.

"Yes, master," she said defeatedly. The doll went silent and floated back down past her line of sight. She peeked over the side of the column and gazed across the hall to the bar, where Natsu was sitting at the bar laughing. He was so beautiful, with his messy pink hair, carefree attitude, the support he gave her. She had to tell him. But she couldn't. Flare didn't know what to do.

But she knew what she had to. Flare made her way from the furthest end of the hall all the way up to the bar nervously. One arm was tucked behind her back and the other was clinging to it. She looked down at her feet and glanced up only to prevent from crashing into anyone else. And then she got there.

"U-um, excuse me, master. Could I talk to you privately? It's urgent…"

Natsu looked to her curiously and nodded his head. He gave Warren a quick handshake and set down his brew. With a flick of his hand the Fourth Master gestured for Flare to once again follow him down to his office.

"What's on your mind?" Natsu asked as the two stepped down the stone staircase into the smaller hall. Flare didn't answer. She was still desperately trying to formulate how to phrase what she had to say. The salamander figured this silence was indicative of the gravity of Flare's condition and didn't press. He pushed the wooden doors open, and as soon as she had entered he shut them. Natsu crossed the small room and leaned against his mahogany desk.

"Now, tell me. What's on your mind?" Flare squirmed under his gaze. She was afraid, but something else was rising in her body. The way he stared at her… It was lust. She was no stranger to it. Several of the men at Raven Tail had taken advantage of her naivety, and it only took a few times before Flare became an expert. And suddenly her head was swirling with far too many things at once.

And she wasn't the only one with that thought. Natsu was worried, but the worry was a bit overridden by her massive tits at the bottom of his vision. He refused to degrade her by staring, but god he wanted to. Natsu was ashamed of himself. Since he'd laid eyes on her he'd imagined what fucking her would be like, but to actually do so would be unfathomable.

"Don't worry, Flare, you can be honest with me." She began to quake very subtly, but Natsu detected it. He didn't know how to make her at ease.

"I… I-" Flare turned heel and ran. She bolted through the wooden doors and up the staircase. Natsu was glued in place, watching sadly as her red hair left his vision. Perhaps he could've done more? No, he refused to put that on himself. She had her own demons, and she would come around when she was ready to let people in. Until then they were hers to face.

 **The Next Morning**

"Master, a dark guild is in Magnolia! It's the one that beat up our mages out on their jobs!" Warren cried as he barged into the guild hall. Wizards all around stood up and began to shout in a panic. Natsu leapt off his barstool and trod towards Warren, but something tugged at his scarf. It was Flare. And she was crying. Natsu's eyes widened as he heard Bisca shout from somewhere distant.

"I'll go upstairs to the tower and see what I can spot, I'll let all of you know!" She shouted as she gave Alzack a kiss on the forehead. Natsu looked from her back to Flare.

"You have some explaining to do." Flare felt her heart sink. This was what she feared. She gulped and Natsu came closer, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Flare, I need you to be completely honest with me. What do you have to do with this?"

"I'm a member of Raven Tail. It's a dark guild run by Ivan Dreyar." Natsu froze at this revelation but let Flare continue. "I was working to send your guild members into bad matchups, against Raven Tail wizards who had magical counters. But then I got guilty and I wanted to warn you yesterday, but I was too scared. I don't wanna be in Raven Tail anymore! I'll do anything, don't make me go back!" Flare was sobbing now. Natsu huffed and embraced her.

"It's nothing personal, you got fooled by manipulators. I won't tell anyone, but you gotta tell me how to beat these guys." Flare sniffled and nodded her head. Suddenly Bisca grappled through one of the open windows and rolled into the hall.

"Alright. I've got a good view. There are big gatherings in different districts spearheaded by some fucking weirdos. A pink one, a big tall blue dude, a skinny-ass goth guy, and a dark skin guy with a beard." Natsu glanced over at Flare.

"Don't worry, Bisca's fine. Just tell us what to do," Natsu assured. Flare nodded and slowly and looked at the floor.

"The pink one has immense strength and uses needle magic, so send people who can take him out from far away. The blue one is Obra, he nullifies magic. Kinana can probably kick his ass. Last is Kurohebi. He copies magic, that's all." Natsu nodded and gave Flare a reassuring smile.

"Perfect, we'll take it from here. Bisca, scramble our best to dispatch of each district foe. Besides Ivan. I'm gonna deal with him."

* * *

Mages flung magic back and forth. It impacted against other human forms and sent people flying to and fro. Kurohebi glared at the hulking figure who suddenly revealed himself out of the crowd. It was Nab, and he was angry.

"So, you're the one who beat up Shadow Gear?" Nab cracked his knuckles. A Raven Tail mage bolted at him but without batting an eye Nab slammed him with a fist to the dome.

"I don't know the names of those three idiots!" Kurohebi hissed. Nab's veins swelled and he lowered himself into bear stance. Kurohebi cackled and mirrored the action, glowing with the power of a bear. Both stepped forward and put their full momentum into a singular punch. Nab howled and Kurohebi hissed. Each fist connected with the opponent's jaw.

Nab grinned as the feathery blow landed, while Kurohebi's eyes widened. Then the twig thin boy was cast to the ground. Nab followed up and switched into tiger, going wild with punches until the boy was broken and bleeding on the stone.

"You can copy my magic, but you will not steal the knowledge I learned from each animal." He then spit on the prone wizards' body and looked about. The Raven Tail detachment was frozen in place. "Are the rest of you going to try to fight me as well, or are you going to get down and surrender?" He grinned as the enemies kneeled over one by one, ceasing their attacks.

He saw far off in the distance a similar scene of domination unfolding between different parties.

Lia and Kagura easily had the upper hand on Nullpudding. He tried to tackle and swing, but everytime he did so the immense weight of sudden gravity would hinder him. And in those lapses a storm of blades struck between the spines, etching cuts and wounds onto his flesh. He cursed and tried once more to attack at the blonde, but she hopped onto a lamp post and sent another flurry of knives in his direction. He raised his arms into an X but as he did so Kagura's wrapped blade hit him in the back, flinging him across the street into Lia's lamppost. The metal pole contorted and warped so that it could coil itself around Nullpudding's chest, stopping him in his tracks. He wormed and squeezed but couldn't break free.

"Fuck you! You won't stop me!" He cried. Kagura huffed and hit him in the face with her sword as hard as she could. The blow crushed Nullpudding's nose, and rendered him completely unconscious.

"That felt too easy," Kagura stated plainly. Lia chuckled and summoned her small blades back into the uniform she wore.

"I agree. But I guess that's what happens when we fight someone who doesn't counter our magic."

The two girls smiled and put their forearms against each other powerfully, standing face to face in victory. They both turned and glanced out across the city to where another of their comrades was engaged in battle. It was Kinana facing off against the huge blue figure on her own. But she was holding her own, too.

Kinana grunted and gave another punch but the tall creature leapt backwards. It was lot of Kinana striking and Obra dodging. He couldn't inhibit her curse power which made the creature inside the puppet panic. He wasn't used to being the powerless one.

His nerves whittled away at his poise and in one flawed move her heated arm caught onto his cape. The venom spread and eroded the whole puppet, crumbling into the ground as a puddle of molten cotton. Obra, the small winged animal, sat blinking. He looked down at Kinana, who was one step ahead of him. Her fist caught him in the face and he landed in the puddle in shock.

She loomed over, and Obra immediately began to shower Kinana with words of surrender and apologies. That was the last of them. Except for the group up in the hall…

* * *

Natsu stared at the man in golden armor. He didn't look like Makarov, but the resemblance to Laxus was there.

Ivan sauntered in and glared at the hall around them. There was a cohort of random other mages behind him who held weapons and looked ready to fight. Natsu sat proudly on his barstool and sipped an ale.

"So, you're the pipsqueak running my father's guild?" Ivan taunted. The air began to flood with small paper dolls. Natsu finished his drink in one last swig and tossed it to the ground with a clank.

"So, you're the dick who got kicked out of Fairy Tail? How'd you fuck up so bad your own

Dad booted you out of here? Like seriously, we have so many ex-cons and other kinda people in here, and **you** couldn't even cut it? That's just embarrassing."

"Shut the fuck up!" Ivan roared. The paper dolls rolled and glowed middair. Natsu

chuckled and hopped off his seat. "I hadn't heard you were a cheeky little bastard, but I'm gonna enjoy wiping the floor with you!" All of the wizards behind Ivan charged, screaming and hollering as different forms of magic soared into the air.

All it took was one scythe of fire dragon magic for the attackers to be downed. Something glowed behind Natsu's eyes. A hint of yellow.

"What do you want, Ivan? Your father and son are both gone."

"I know, and good riddance. I just want what's underneath this guild, you probably aren't aware it exists. But that old shit didn't want to give it to me! And now I'm gonna take it from you!"

Natsu snapped. The paper dolls flew forward to block Natsu's advance but a huge torrent of surging flames engulfed them all. He then flung a flaming kick at Ivan's face. The older man huffed and gripped the leg before it hit, grimacing beneath the heat. He twisted and tossed Natsu across the hall, who in response braced himself against a column and flew back towards the armored Dreyar.

This time the paper dolls were omni directional and swatted Natsu straight out of the air. And when the Fourth Master stood back up he saw that the scenery was changing. The columns and walls of the hall shifted into dark stone and black iron. Bars and chains hung and clanked. And at the center of it all was a familiar face.

"M-master?" Natsu whispered. Before him was a weak and infirm looking Makarov. But it was Makarov. Natsu let down his guard began to stride forward. This had to be some kind of ploy, but he so wanted it not to be.

In the corner of the guild hall observing this all was Flare. Natsu was slowly stalking towards Ivan, who was gathering a storm of spinning dolls around one of his fists. She knew what was coming. But where to go? She had seen what Ivan had done to those who had disobeyed, but Fairy Tail was something else. Flare shrank further back, too afraid to move.

Natsu strode closer to Makarov who now had his arms wide open. Natsu smiled, ready to embrace his old master. He could hear the sound of ruffling paper faintly, when all of the sudden it changed. The image was ripped and torn and the guildhall came back into view. Makarov disappeared, and only Ivan was left. Ivan being hung in strands of crimson hair.

Natsu huffed and something inside of him began to rise. Something bubbling in rage. He flew into the air and delivered a flaming fist of the fire dragon to Ivan's face, smashing his nose bone and shattering his upper jaw. The Raven Tail guild master fell to the floor, but Natsu wasn't done.

"You did this! You took them away from me! Give them back!" Natsu roared. His fists crackled with lightning as he set into Ivan. His hands struck and broke everything they touched. Ribs, arms, the pelvis, Ivan's lower jaw. Flare watched in horror as blood flew, all the while Ivan was screaming through the spurts of blood. The fear came less from violence and gore, having seen her share in Raven Tail. It was something else. There was a black aura emanating from Natsu. It was something truly foul.

"Natsu! Stop! He uses illusion magic!" Flare yelled. Her hair tangled around his arms and stopped his swings for a brief second, long enough for the black aura to fade and Natsu to come to his senses. The salamander looked at his blood covered fists and at the mess in front of him, terrified. What had he done? He looked back up at Flare and was going to say something affirming when a different emotion rose. He stood up and smiled. Flare felt it again. Felt that strange deep sense of lust and energy. She blinked and saw that once again there was a fait sheen of black mist around Natsu's stature. Or was she going crazy?

* * *

Alzack huffed and pulled his guns out of their holsters, rolling each across his index finger before sliding it back in dejectedly. He repeated this process for several minutes, just as he'd been doing for an hour. He glanced down into the town square where the last cart of Raven Tail members were finally being wheeled out by the magic council.

"Babe, you still need to recover," Bisca stated as she came up from behind him and draped her arms around his neck and shoulder. Alzack sighed and spun in place so that the couple was face to face.

"I know, Bis… But it just feels like I haven't done anything in months. I know it's only been like, two. But my point still stands."

"I'll tell you what. I've been thinking. Let's go on one last big adventure before the grand magic games. Something long and tiring, but fun!"

"Sounds good to me, but what were you thinking?" Alzack asked. Bisca smiled.

"Let's visit Kraken Maw and maybe sail around with them for a bit. It'll be like a little cruise filled with adventure and action! And we can go straight to Crocus from there, so a full month!"

Alzack pictured it in his head. Sailing wasn't his element, and he imagined a run down sloop with scurvy and famine. It sounded awful. But awful in a fun way. He looked into his girlfriend's eyes and smiled back at her.

"Alright, let's fucking do it. Let's leave as soon as we can! I'll get a haircut and we can leave this week!" Bisca yelped happily and kissed him. The two stood there for a moment before parting their lips.

"Sounds good, babe. Now let's go back inside." As they trotted from the grand patio to the guild hall Bisca reflected silently. Her reason for going was in fact what she had told Alzack. But there was something deeper down as well. She desired a a change of pace. Something to distract her from what was happening around her. She wanted to escape, for at least a little while.

Inside the guild hall repairs were being finalized and the guild seemed back to normal. They were a resilient bunch, and altogether used to run-ins like this. Besides, Raven Tail had been so weak that repairs were very minute and menial.

"I can't believe that pink fuck took out Nab," Lia laughed with a keg of ale at her side. She glanced up at the animal mage and laughed. He smirked and looked away.

"Yeah, well I had just defeated dozens of bandits and was already tired. What was your excuse for losing to an actual puppet?" Nab asked. Lia opened her mouth but kagura jumped in first.

"Neither of us could use magic. And we're not huge slabs of unattractive muscle, you know. We fought bandits too!" Nab chuckled and waved his hand.

"Alright, you got me there. Raven Tail definitely bit off more than they could chew, maybe they thought we were still weak without our Tenrou wizards."

"Either way, they got fucked," Lia said with a shrug. The circle laughed and kept their spirits high.

Little did they know, a surprising scene beneath them was unfolding in the basement floor of the building.

Flare gripped the end of the mahogany desk and pressed her breasts into the wood. Her body rocked back and forth as Natsu pumped behind her. She certainly wasn't being quiet about it, either.

In the far reaches of his mind Natsu wondered about the morality of this situation. Was it right for a guild master to fuck a member? Was it an abuse of power? But that wasn't in the forefront. Something animalistic was in control, and Natsu grabbed Flare's alabaster hips as he rammed into her womanhood. Her yelps and moans were beyond exciting. He picked up his pace and lifted her back end off the ground so that he had a better angle to continue. Flare was surprised but not opposed to it.

This was the release he craved. He continued to drill the redhead with wet slaps that resonated through the halls…


	27. Chapter 27- GMG 2

**Chapter 27- GMG Two**

Natsu pressed his face up against the window of the train and tried to keep the sickness in his core. He wished he was as good at this as Wendy had been. But he was making progress, he hadn't vomited once. Yet. He found that a good way to keep his mind off of the sickness was to think. And seeing as how Natsu's mind was always turbulent with emotion and the weight of his responsibilities he usually had a lot to think about. It had been two months and Flare was long gone. She had left a month previous to return to her home village, something Natsu was thankful for. Seeing her only reminded him how he gave in to the weak cravings of his carnal mind.

They had fucked quite often, and it was something he enjoyed for a time. But afterwards he started to question the morality of it. He wondered if it had been an abuse of his power. He just wanted to clear his head,but that would bring the sickness back. And there was another issue plaguing him that he couldn't shake. He would be seeing Jenny again for the first time in a long time. Would they be friends, would they be enemies? Would they passionately reunite in love and tenderness? Or would it be venom and bitterness?

But he would also be reuniting with Bisca and Alzack. The two had been out sailing the vast oceans and no doubt would be indoctrinated by Ne'e. That would certainly be an adventure. He looked at the notepad in front of him and tried to decipher what he'd written. His vision was patchy but he could see the dotted list. Picking contestants for Fairy Tail's team was harder this year than last year. There had been quite an influx of powerful mages to the guild, so the list was significantly changed. Kinana was no longer there. She had been replaced by Kagura instead. The chemistry between her and Lia was quite strong and in fact, Natsu felt that within the next few years Kagura had the propensity to contend for S class status.

Other than that Lia and Bisca were both returning for another year. And from the male pool Alzack and Nab had once again been selected to represent the guild. All in all it looked like a good line up on paper. But Natsu hadn't seen his gunslinging comrades in some time.

Natsu was aware that the landscape they were passing through was quite beautiful, but he felt like he was probably taking it all in more superficially than the unaffected members of Fairy Tail. Affected meaning his motion sickness, of course. He turned his head behind him to peer over his shoulder and tried to see who was chatting. The Fairy Hills group was in the back gossiping as usual. Nab was napping. Romeo and his father were in a booth laughing. Shadow Gear was over doing whatever the fuck Shadow Gear did. All was well.

With a sigh Natsu looked back out the window, clutching his stomach with one hand. This was the first time since last year he'd really left Magnolia for any significant length of time. He wished Makarov were around to inform him on how to deal with the stir-craziness he was enduring. Hell, if any previous guild master had left a little letter of dos and don'ts it would've been nice. But that wasn't how it had turned out.

The train slowly halted to a stop inside of the city. Natsu waited until the majority of his guild had filed through the aisles before he too stood up shakily and exited the cart. The air was pure and fresh, filled with the soft scents of wood fires and cooking meats.

It wasn't a long walk to the station where Bisca and Alzack would be coming home from, and Natsu went off with Kagura and Lia behind him. The stroll was nice. Behind Natsu the two girls chatted quietly and giggled, whilst the guild master enjoyed the ambiance of the artisan district. Little cafes and boutiques shone with pastel colors and pretty architecture, and eventually they could hear the horn from a steam engine.

And then there they all were. Ne'e was unchanged, still huge and tattooed. Her evil grin was plastered on her face eternally as she scanned the area for strong souls. Behind her was the other memorable group, comprised of last years competitors and some new faces. Sarah, Malcolm, Fox, Aaron, Diana, a bald man covered in scars, and a man who looked very much akin to Diana. Then behind them a very drunk looking adolescent stumbled out of the cart and landed face first in the stone street. But Natsu didn't care, what he saw coming next made his heart soar. His friends, his comrades.

Bisca and Alzack. But they seemed awfully far apart. Alzack looked utterly depressed and crushed, and he stood a fair few feet behind his fiance. But it was then that Natsu realized that neither of the two were wearing their rings. And Bisca looked very pissed. Until she saw her guildmates.

"Oh my god, I missed you all!" Bisca shouted. She bolted forward and hugged the guild master, before turning on Lia and Kagura. Alzack trudged forward slowly and as he passed by Ne'e she gave him a strong slap on the back. Natsu raised an eyebrow at the gunslinger inquisitively.

"It's a long story, Natsu, let's just go to our hotel."

"We will see you in the competition, Salamander!" Ne'e called as the Fairy Tail group made their way down the street. "And this year we will defeat you handily! Believe me!"

Natsu chuckled and waved his hand in the air over his shoulder. But he couldn't get his mind off of what could have transpired between Fairy Tail's power couple to make this happen. Whatever _this_ happened to be. But it would certainly harm the chemistry of the group, and that made Natsu nervous.

* * *

Natsu couldn't bear to watch the qualifiers. Too much was on his mind. He wondered if putting Alzack and Bisca on the same team had been the right move. In the end he didn't think there was a reliable and competent alternative, so he went with his gut. He strode through the empty night streets of Crocus reminiscing on last year. He'd ambled around with Jenny, seen great fights, and overall it had been a fantastic experience.

Now, however, the world was splitting at its seams. He heard a quiet whistle and turned to look where the noise had come from. Sitting alone on a bench beneath a streetlight was a tanned and blonde haired man. He wore no shirt, only a large white parka that was left open to expose his chiseled physique. He and Natsu locked eyes.

"Care to sit down, Salamander?" The stranger asked. Natsu felt an odd emotion overtake him, and out of curiosity did as the man suggested. "I'm Monte," the stranger clarified, extending a hand. Natsu shook it firmly before lowering his arm.

"What do you need, Monte?" The Fourth Master asked. Monte smiled and leaned back slightly.

"Well, truthfully, I'm in a dark guild." Natsu was taken aback but not shocked, and the way Monte said it so nonchalantly was indicative of its truth. Natsu suspected the remark wasn't at all intended to be humorous. "And I came to warn you. This city is gonna be a warzone. I'll find you when that happens and help you stop them."

"Wait, stop who? Warzone? What the fuck are you talking about?!" Natsu leaned towards Monte and tried to wrap his hand around the man's neck, but a huge flash of light shone out across the stranger's skin. Natsu sat back and shoved his hands to his eyes, trying to keep the shine from blinding him. His eyes burned and he rubbed at them furiously his senses completely overridden by the pain. And by the time it all faded and his vision returned, albeit all splotchy, Monte was gone.

He stood up and anxiously glanced down the empty streets desperate to find Monte. He checked alleys, alcoves and every space he could. But it didn't yield the results he sought. From the air an explosion echoed and an announcer called out loudly.

"Fairy Tail is the first guild to finish the qualifier and make it into this year's grand magic games!" Natsu wanted to smile and be happy. But he knew something evil was looming on the horizon. He heard something behind him. The air rustled. He turned but there was nothing visible.

He followed the scent into a dark alley and looked about, but once more he was greeted with emptiness. And then the alleyway closed as a figure appeared, slowly constructing itself where it stood. No. It was casting off some sort of cloak that allowed it to camoflauge. And it was a she.

She had blue skin and flaming pink hair that jutted up, whilst her sideburns were long and hung down to her massive chest. Her waist was supple and her hips wide, each lewd portion of her body covered in shadows.

"Natsu Dragneel…" The woman cooed. The Fourth Master looked at her in confusion. This had to be some sort of trap. She strutted towards him, each step shaking her chest and rear. This sort of display of sexiness had little effect on Natsu.

"That's me," Natsu replied bluntly. This wasn't the time. She stood right up beside him and pressed her breasts against his chest.

"Tell me, who was that you were talking to earlier?" She asked as her hand traced down his abs towards his pantline. Natsu glanced and saw that very faintly on her neck was a guild mark, a strange one at that. The whole situation reeked of suspicion. In a single motion Natsu swept her off her feet and pressed her against the alley wall, one hand wrapped around her neck. "Oh, so you like it like that?" She said tauntingly.

"I'm in charge here. Who the fuck are you? Who the fuck was he? And what the fuck is about to happen here?" Another explosion rang out in the sky.

"Blue Pegasus is the second guild to qualify!"

"Oh, me? I'm just a lowly member of Tartaros, maybe you've heard of us. But you should've just let me fuck you, cuz now it's gonna hurt." Natsu's eyes widened as two tendrils of darkness appeared out of nowhere, lashing him and throwing him to the ground forcefully. He looked up and tried to latch onto her, but she had already backed away. The shadows rose all over her body and she became camouflaged once more.

"Maybe we'll meet again. I hope so. You really are a stud and I want to taste you…" And with that she was gone. Once more Natsu felt powerless. Something around him was happening that was out of his control. Could he prevent it? Who would believe him if he said an invisible girl and a really bright guy told him then disappeared. Maybe Fairy Tail, but likely nobody else. The best he could do was prepare his own people for whatever was coming.

He barely heard the other guilds that were announced. They were unimportant by comparison. Something else far more important was near. He slowly trekked back to the hotel contemplative of what his plan would be.

The one benefit to all of this was that Jenny was now the last thing on Natsu's mind.

* * *

"Two dark guilds in one city? Sounds like a bad time," Bisca said mournfully. Natsu was surrounded by his best and closest guild members. Bisca, Alzack, Nab, Warren, Kagura, Lia and Macao. He had opted to let the younger and less experienced members sit in ignorance until a more concrete plan had been laid out.

"I don't know when or what the fuck is going to happen, so for now, be vigilant. Just keep doing your best to win these games. Have the worst in mind though. We'll talk about this again tomorrow and every night until it happens, just to make sure we're mentally and physically ready. That's enough. Get some rest, and kick ass tomorrow." And with that Natsu went back to his room. The rest of the meeting stayed in silence a bit longer.

But then the girls left to their rooms. And Nab and Macao looked to Alzack in confusion.

"What the hell happened between you and Bisca?" Macao asked. Alzack looked out of the flapping drapes to the night sky where thousands of stars shone. His eyes brimmed with tears and the dam broke. He broke down.

"I fucked up. I fucked up!" He shouted. His voice cracked and it was barely comprehensible, but both Nab and Macao understood it. They embraced their friend as he trembled and wept, sobbing uncontrollably. Macao sighed and patted Alzack's back.

"We all make mistakes. I did, too. Just tell us what happened…"

In the girl's room, something similar was unfolding. Bisca was weeping quietly and she flung furniture all about, to the horror of everyone around her. She was seething mad, but she kept enough control over herself to keep a scream or shout from escaping. She wished she had killed herself when she'd had the chance.

"Bisca, just tell us what happened!" Lia cried as she bolted forward and threw herself around the green haired woman's waist. Bisca stopped and looked down.

"Give me some time. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset any of you. I just… I just need time." After which Bisca absconded to the balcony. Kagura, Lia and Kinana all looked at each other sadly. Bisca was their rock. And seeing her in this condition was far from uplifting.

 **The First Trial**

"The contestants have been chosen! Everyone is where they need to be! Without further ado, welcome to- The Dark Passage!" The announcer screamed. And it had begun. A representative of each guild was inside the underground labyrinth and was to seek out some sort of chapel at the center of it all. Inside the chapel was the prize.

Natsu leaned forward and looked across the playing field. The mages inside couldn't see out of the dark tunnels, but the audience could see in. Natsu wasn't paying attention to the games. His eyes scanned across the crowds anxiously. He couldn't see Monte or the shadowed girl. But his eyes did lock with someone else's. Someone he didn't want to think about. Jenny was staring directly at him from Blue Pegasus' box. Natsu gulped.

Deep in the dark and dank tunnel Kagura cursed and slashed through cobwebs. The ceiling dripped and the only light she had was from glowing lichen that clung to the moist walls. Her boots sloshed through puddles and she could feel the dampness soaking into the leggings beneath. It was unpleasant, to say the least. She continued her stroll for several more minutes, or what she had assumed were minutes. The cave seemed to be widening and glowing stalactites now shone on the roof of this tube. But on closer inspection Kagura saw that they weren't stalactites. They were writhing insects, and each one had a transparent body. And inside of them were bats and other small mammals being digested. It was sickening.

Kagura's disgust was abruptly interrupted as a sound echoed through the cave. It sounded like hundreds of little legs scuttling against the wet stone. She gripped the haft of her sword tightly and slowed down her pace. Suddenly, the lichen withdrew and stopped glowing. The visibility shrank and Kagura could barely see the outline of the walls. And then it became eerily quiet. In front of her, light. Many lights. Many little green orbular lights. They were eyes. With a gesture Kagura increased the tunnels gravity and the small insects on the ceiling tumbled to the ground, illuminating the creature before her.

It was an enormous purple centipede, covered in spines and carapace. Without warning it shrieked and charged at her, its body winding up the walls and on the ceiling back down again. Kagura saw its churning mandibles and suddenly she was no longer in the cave. She was back in the desert and this centipede was the scorpion. Overcome with fear Kagura turned and ran as fast as she could, her body heat swelling. She heard her heart pounding in her ears and she tried to run as fast as she could. Kagura took a wrong step and slipped on the damp stone. She tumbled forward and her sword fell out of her hands, skidding a ways in front of her.

She cried out and scampered for it, not even bothering lifting herself off the ground. She took a hold of it and rolled to her back, only to see the beast lunging down towards her. With a scream, Kagura thrust her sword forward. The force of the blow coupled with her gravity magic knocked it back, giving her the time to stand up once more. It came again, but this time Kagura was ready.

A swipe generated enough force to shatter the exoskeletal head, dropping the whole beast to the floor in an instant. Kagura huffed continued down her path, stepping on top of the centipede and walking along its carapace. The lichen returned and illuminated her path nicely.

Eventually her pathway spilled into a much larger cavern, at the end of which was a boulder glowing with runes. She stared at in confusion when a voice from behind her announced-

"Hey, you! You're going down!" Kagura glanced over her shoulder and saw it was the short mage from Lamia Scale. With a chortle Kagura began to exert added gravity into the room, but strangely, found that Yuka was unaffected. He paced towards her with a smug grin and shook his head.

"Don't you know who I am? I cancel magic!" He announced brazenly. Kagura nodded her head and stood where she was, allowing Yuka to draw nearer.

"Is that so?" She asked. Kagura allowed him to come to arm's length, before she swung her sword. Even without the aid of magic the force from the attack hitting Yuka in the temple dropped him to the wet floor instantly. Behind her, the runes on the stone slab glowed and it rolled open, giving Kagura access to yet another tunnel. She looked back at Yuka's downed body once more and with a laugh continued on her way. Far too easy.

Yuka must not have faced a giant insect, Kagura mused. If he had, it had to have been some sort of pansy insect that was easy to kill. It was of no importance, though.

She turned a corner and a bright white light shone in her eyes. There it was. A glowing white chapel of gold and marble. And sitting inside of it sipping on wine was Hibiki of Blue Pegasus.

"Oh, welcome, Kagura! It seems you got second place!" He smiled and offered her a glass of wine as well, which she cordially declined.

"Wait… How do you know I got second…?" Kagura asked. Hibiki took another sip and leaned back on the soft vinyl couch.

"I don't for sure, but I know I'm the first one inside the chapel. I'm pretty sure that was the only prerequisite, right?" And then came a loud gong, followed by the roof of the cave opening up into the arena. The scoreboard hovered above displaying the members of each guild and where they ranked. Hibiki had been right. At the top sat Blue Pegasus immediately followed by Fairy Tail.

* * *

Natsu watched as Lia played toyed with her prey. The poor lackey from Gargoyle Fist was no match for her. But as usual Natsu wasn't quite focused on the battle at hand. His eyes were once more scanning the crowded stands, desperately searching for either of the figures from last night.

And there he was. Monte. Natsu bolted out of the Fairy Tail box and down several stone flights of stairs to the ground floor. It was crowded with audience members lining up for concessions and merchandise, so the Salamander went up and down the crowds trying to find him.

He turned a corner and found someone. Not Monte, who he'd been hoping to find. It was once again Jenny.

"Oh, afternoon!" She said with a smile. Natsu returned the smile and the two gave each other a casual embrace. "It's been a while…"

She and Natsu stood staring at each other for a moment. Both of them were doing the same thing. Recalling the last time they had met here, and all of the wonderful memories it had led to. And the bad ones too. But standing here before her it seemed so easy for Natsu to forget the bad memories.

"Yeah, it really has been…"

Natsu chuckled and looked down at his feet. Words seemed a little difficult. His head didn't feel right.

"Hey, do you wanna-"

"Hey, do you wanna-"

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter. Jenny nodded her head and tried to stop her broad smile.

"Yeah, I'd love to grab something to eat later. I wanna hear how things have been at Fairy Tail."

"And I want to hear how Blue Pegasus has been."

The siren wailed and the announcer cheered loudly. Lia had won. Natsu smiled at Jenny and the two said their goodbyes.


	28. Chapter 28- Maw of Fate

**Chapter 28- The Maw Of Fate**

 _Two Months Previous to GMG 2, An Unnamed Ocean_

Bisca and Alzack both rose slowly from their shared hammock. Sarah stood on the ladder to the main deck with a grin in one hand and a lantern in the other. No light shone through the trap door which meant they were still deeply entrenched in the night.

"What time is it, Sarah?" Alzack huffed in annoyance. Bisca rolled out of the hammock and landed on the rough wood with a thud. She coughed in displeasure and stood up, throwing her blouse and pants on quickly.

"It'll be sunrise soon, get up!" The redhead commanded. She gestured for the lovers to follow and ascended the wooden rungs. Alzack sighed and threw his poncho on haphazardly, trying his boots to his feet as Bisca grabbed an early morning orange. The ship swayed above the waves and the lantern hanging from the ceiling creaked as it swung softly, illuminating the cramped deck. It was a small ship, probably incapable of fitting more than ten people. Luckily it was just the three of them, which made it a bit easier to stomach.

Bisca climbed up to the deck above and was immediately attacked by a fierce sea breeze whipping foam into her face. Luckily it did wonders to wake her up. The ship was but a small sloop, with only two decks and one mast. The large white sail billowed in the night air and the stars were slowly fading above them. All around was darkness.

"Kinda terrifying, isn't it?" Alzack asked as he put his arm around Bisca. "You can barely see maybe ten feet out there…"

"What are you, a pansy?" Sarah taunted from the rigging. She then pointed out to the horizon were soft orange and red hues were brimming over. The golden tip of the sun protruded over the blue and immediately illumination spread across the water. And there they were.

Bisca's eyes widened and her mouth opened in awe. She had always figured Kraken Maw had a ship or two. But not this.

It was a fleet. Dozens of clippers, frigates and other such boats were unfurling their sails in the morning air. Each flew a proud flag bearing the Kraken Maw iconography. And in the center of this formation was something else entirely. Bisca would hesitate to call it a ship.

It was the size of a small island. Cranes and pulleys hung across the sides and smaller ships were undergoing maintenance as it crawled over the waves. Wooden towers stuck out like sore thumbs atop its main deck, and huge domes of massive cannons jutted like pikes into the sky. The front of the ship was fashioned to look like an enormous leviathan, with a wide open mouth glaring down into any ship that chanced too close to it.

It had no sails. Bisca guessed it was propelled by some sort of magic. But she remembered vaguely the Phantom Lord guild hall, and wondered if this ship too had an enormous lacrima inside of it.

The sloop entered the ring of ships, passing by dozens of cheering sailors. There adoration was aimed at a specific individual. Sarah smiled and waved back as they shouted welcomes and other well wishes.

It was several minutes later that Bisca, Alzack and Sarah came along the side of the flagship. It looked even more enormous up close. A huge crane was lowering above them with two hooks across from each other dangling off of it. As the hooks closed in on the side of the sloop Sarah hopped across the deck and fastened the hook to the starboard side of the ship. She gave it a tug to make sure it was secure then dashed to the port side, doing the same with the second hook. She stuck her hand in the air and gave the Kraken Maw salute.

With a lurch the sloop was suddenly stopped, no longer moving in the waves. Bisca and Alzack clung to the railing and watched the water grow further and further away, as the ships beneath them shrank. They moved past several loading bays where other small sloops sat and inside of each many workers and crew were waving their welcomes to Sarah.

"You're pretty famous…" Bisca said quietly. Sarah chuckled and blew a kiss to one of the crew members as they rose.

"I wish it was for being strong. But it's for _this_ ," Sarah said while slapping her ass. "And _that_." She then squeezed her breasts and with a lugh looked back up. There it was. The edge of the main deck. With several more clicks and wooden groans the sloop peered over the edge of the Kraken Maw flagship, and once more Bisca and Alzack were stunned.

It looked like a town. There were patches of neatly kept lawns and sand gardens. Tropical plants bloomed and swayed in the wind. Tall palm trees stood solemnly and streams bubbled noisily. Huts, houses, and other structures dotted the landscape. Every so often a huge gun emplacement was seated in the midst of it all, and at the back was the huge control tower.

Bisca and Alzack were so focused on taking in their surroundings that they didn't notice a brawny man above them fixing the pulley to a new rope. With another click, the sloop was moving once more. But this time it wasn't moving over the ocean, it floated towards the main tower over the town. Sarah was thoroughly entertained by the reaction she was observing out of her companions. She never got tired of seeing people so shocked.

The sloop finally moved into the entry bay of the command tower and was set down in the holding net softly. A gangplank slid out of the wood which Sarah set down quickly, gesturing for her friends to follow. Bisca and Alzack stepped out and saw below them a crowd of familiar faces. Malcolm, Fox, Aaron and Diana from the last year's' grand magic games stood below them. Along with some other less familiar faces.

"Don't worry, we'll have someone take care of your luggage. For now, follow me. We're going to go and meet the admiral," Sarah said happily. Bisca and Alzack nodded, stepping forward. They shared warm greetings with the heisters whom they'd arrested those years ago.

And that was it.

 _Present Day_

"That doesn't sound bad at all… That sounds awesome!" Macao shouted. Warren punched the older man's arm and patted Alzack on the shoulder.

"Sorry. Keep going."

Far away from the hotel in which Fairy Tail had taken up lodging, a small cafe in the arts district bustled with activity. Carts came in and out delivering fresh ingredients and the cooks inside shouted over their stoves and ovens. Two patrons entered the cafe, both absolutely radiant.

Natsu and Jenny took a small corner seat inside away from as many tables as possible. As much as the both of them hated it they were somewhat celebrities now. Though Natsu suspected it was his brief time dating Jenny previously that had really elevated his social standing.

"So, tell me about Blue Pegasus," Natsu began. The waiter brought the both of them glasses of wine and small sliced bread to snack on.

"It's been pretty different. I've been diversifying and trying out more stuff. Fighting and doing jobs, stuff like that." Natsu nodded and leaned back into his chair slightly.

"That's super cool…"

Back through the crowded streets of Crocus, up the slopes of the hill the city was built upon, and back in Fairy Tail's hotel, Bisca was consulting with her friends.

"Well, I can tell you what happened after that. We got this message…"

 _The Ocean Once More_

"Wait… Ne'e isn't the guildmaster?" Bisca asked incredulously. In all honesty, she was less shocked by this revelation and more shocked by who the actual guild master was. In front of her strewn along a red velvet throne of seastone and bones was a repulsive figure. His clothes were ruffled and stained, with holes and patches in places. His hair was unkempt dreads sitting upon his dark skinned scalp. Much like Ne'e, however, his skin was a canvas of artful and tribal tattoos.

"I'm afraid not," the man droned from the seat. He sat up and wiped at his bleary eyes. "You caught me at a poor time…" His voice was heavily accented and he reeked of alcohol.

"Is there ever a right time, Gaz?" Sarah scoffed as she smacked his arm. He jumped and moved out of the seat.

"I'll have you know I'm entirely sober as we speak! Just bloody hungover… Oh, right. Fairy Tail wizards. Yes, and Ne'e. She's the guildmaster when the motion suits her. You'd have to be daft to oppose that woman. So, I could explain my lengthy history to you all… Or I could hand this letter to Sarah…" Gaz produced a small paper and handed it to the redhead. "And let her read it to you. In the meantime, I'm going to chug rum and lose my ability to function humanly. Ciao!" Gaz flicked his wrist in a wave and waddled through an ornate door into a separate room. Sarah sweat dropped and turned back to her companions.

She unravelled the parchment and held it up while she read it aloud so that both Bisca and Alzack could read along with her.

"Gaz. I'm aware of the motion of a bright one journeying to your fleet. Send me the one with green hair as soon as she arrives. She will witness the rebirth. As for the other, leave him to chase his desires. Signed, Ne'e…"

"Wait, what's the rebirth?" Bisca asked immediately. She wasn't too afraid of the prospect of leaving Alzack behind. But Ne'e was mysterious. Bisca's mind was flooded with images and ideas of torture and death.

"Oh, it's a ritual her religion does. I went to it last year, it's super cool. You're lucky to be invited, Ne'e only brings a few dozen crew members," Sarah explained. Bisca nodded and looked up at her fiance. He smiled at her.

"Does she leave tonight?" He then asked to the Kraken Maw mage. She shook her head in response.

"She can leave tomorrow morning if you want to squeeze in one last squeeze in, she'll be gone a few weeks." Sarah gave the two a toothy grin and with a chuckle gestured for them to follow her. "I'll show you the room. It's super nice, but neither of you will probably see it again for awhile. If Bisca's leaving then I'm sure Gaz will send Alzack out to do some dumb menial task on one of the spearships."

"One of the what, now?" Alzack asked. Sarah laughed once more and waved her wrist at him dismissively.

"I think you seeing this shit would be easier than explaining it."

The trio moved through the immense halls until they had reached the elevator room. Sailless ships were moving up and down intricate pulley systems into different tunnels. Some were labeled for gun bays, some for housing, and straight down was power. From the bottom of the shaft a faint green glow could be seen.

"Come on, we're heading towards housing," Sarah said. The group loaded up onto the dinghy and it sped off down the line, moving much faster than Bisca or Alzack had anticipated. In just a few minutes the pitch black tunnel opened up back to the main deck of the ship, outside and exposed to the hot sun. Overhead the cranes worked busily and clouds floated lazily.

The boat stopped in front of a very pretty little house. Crabs scuttled around the palm tree directly in front of it and its blue paint shone in the light. Sarah waved goodbye to the two as the small dinghy began its trek back into the tunnel, leaving Bisca and Alzack alone.

"How do you feel about all of this?" Alzack asked. Bisca smiled and paced up to the door, twisting the knob to enter. It was small, with only one large bed and a few dressers. But it was homey.

"I'm in love with the aesthetic of all of this. It's beautiful. And I'm excited to see this ritual, albeit a little bit nervous. What about you? Can you manage without me for a few weeks?"

"You know I can, babe. I might struggle though," he said with a pout. Bisca laughed and kissed him.

"Okay then, big baby. You know… Since I'm leaving tomorrow, I might as well not unpack my stuff. How about you help me get undressed though…" They flung themselves at each other and just like that they were making love.

 **Present Day, Challenge Two**

Lia had never considered herself good at puzzles. The icy wind beat at her hair as she trudged up the hillside, trying to keep her decanter from leaking any of the ritual water she was delivering. In the distance Lia saw the shape of the wayshrine glinting with its beacon. She was close.

Against the frozen gale she marched, her eyes puffing up and her nose leaking as the cold nipped at her thin vestige. But she wouldn't be the one to let down Fairy Tail. She reached the crown of the hill and stared at the wayshrine. It was a small white construct inside of which was a bowl on a raised dais. And across from her was someone else.

It was _her_ , that skank Sarah from Kraken Maw. The redhead pulled her guns from her waist and shot a volley of bullets towards Lia. The blonde cackled as the bullets stopped middair, and with a flick of her free wrist Lia shoved them to the ground. Several of Lia's blades spun out of their pouches and rammed into her opponent, knocking the girl back down the hill.

"Too easy," Lia huffed. She moved into the wayshrine and poured her ritual water into the bowl. The wall in front of her sparkled and an image formed, an image of a glowing vale. It looked beautiful. Lia smiled and walked around the dais, stepping into the image. Her surroundings rippled and she appeared somewhere else.

She was in the vale. The northern lights shone above her head and the plants glowed in the dusk sky. Far off she spotted the white stone of another wayshrine. The temperature was now much more moderate and Lia enjoyed a casual and slow paced stroll down into the vale.

She took in her surroundings with a deep breath and a smile formed on her features. Whoever had created this challenge had definitely outdone themselves. She finally reached the base of the vale and now had a clear view of the wayshrine. She picked up her pace and moved to it more quickly, when suddenly a massive roar shook the pine trees around her.

From behind the wayshrine an enormous figure rose up. It had four arms and huge horns, and stood easily three times the height of Lia. She frowned and cursed under her breath. The giant picked a boulder up from the ground and hurled it into the air.

Lia sped forward and rolled to the side sticking her feet to three of her blades. She took off into the air and dove to dodge the second boulder. The giant climbed on top of the wayshrine and jumped forward. It swung two of its massive fists and Lia in an attempt to swat her like a fly. She weaved between them and threw seven smaller blades into the beast's face, causing it to howl in agony.

Lia then dropped suddenly and swung her larger metal blades across its ankles. They opened and blue blood shot out, spilling across the grass. It cried out once more and fell to its knees, after which Lia formed all of her blades into one enormous lance. She hot the weapon upwards into its throat, ending its life. Lia rolled her shoulder and fixed her hair as she strolled into the wayshrine, pouring the second helping of water into the next dais. Another image of light sparkled into existence, and before she saw what it was Lia had stepped into it.

This new location was very much like the first. It was cold as hell, but luckily the howling wind and snow was gone. Instead Lia was standing in the middle of a frozen lake. At the center was an altar upon which sat what looked like a tombstone. And across the lake from her was Jura Neekis. Lia swore under her breath again.

But Jura wasn't the only thing to worry about. The ice shattered a distance away and two wyverns ripped from the water. They circled up into the sky and then dove, one flying for each of the wizards.

Lia ran and slid across the ice, narrowly ducking beneath the torrent of frost that came from the wyvern's mouth. She sprinted to the tombstone and rolled to avoid another attack. She ran up the dirt and looked into the tombstone. Inside it was a skeleton clinging to a glowing sword. She picked it up and a siren blared. The wyverns both dropped to the ground and Jura looked up in surprise.

"From Fairy Tail, Lia Stehlen wins!" Lia smiled like an idiot as the landscape faded and she was back in the arena.

 _Kraken Maw, Past_

Alzack sighed and rolled out of his hammock. Around him dozens of other men were throwing on clothing and strapping up their boots. He had no clue what god forsaken time of the night it was but it was pitch black. No light shone through the portholes. Rats scurried as activity frightened them away from their midnight meals.

"Come on, pretty boy, we found one!" Aaron shouted from a ladder across the deck. The huge muscled man ascended into the air and Alzack followed. The gunslinger had been correct. When he reached the main deck he saw that the moon was dark and new. The stars glittered, but the only real light came from the lanterns. Judging by the spears and pikes in the hands of many of the crew, Alzack judged that they had found it.

Sea-beast hunting wasn't new to him, this was the third time he'd been out with Aaron hunting them in the last two weeks.

"Starboard side, it's surfacing!" Someone cried out. The wind filled with water and foam as the ocean exploded, and out came a horrific beast. It looked like a giant snake merged with a freakish squid, and it was pissed.

Several enormous harpoons ripped into its sides and it dove again. The ship spun as the beast pulled at it, trying to break free.

"Flush it back up, boy!" Aaron roared. Alzack nodded and hopped onto the railing, firing his two guns like a madman into the sea. The round tore down into the water and carried themselves deeper, exploding once they were in the vicinity of the creature. It wailed and rose again, jumping out of the water enough to slam Alzack back into one of the ship's masts. More harpoons flew forward and pierced the beast. It gave a final cry and flopped onto the deck of the ship.

The crew cheered and Alzack stood up trying to get his breathing back to normal. A familiar redhead leapt from one of the masts with a thud beside Alzack.

"Good job, you helped take down another one. One of these days you'll get to see how we deal with a big one."

"That's not big?" Alzack asked as he gestured to the beast. Sarah laughed and punched him in the arm. He couldn't help but take in the details of her. Her freckled face, the lush red hair. Her skin was as clear as Bisca's but a little more tan. It made him think back to that night those years ago. When she was so close to him…

"That's barely a fucking baby. We bring in real big ones from time to time. But it's rarer, and we need bigger boats than this."

Aaron stepped forward and flung his arm around Alzack, leaning down with a grin.

"Congratulations, boy! Another job well done! When we get back to headquarters we'll have a grand ol' fuckin drink in yer honor! Won't we, lads?!" Aaron spun with Alzack and picked him up, showing him off to the crew. They cheered and instantly went back to butchering the beast.


	29. Chapter 29- Rebirth

**Chapter 29- Rebirth**

 _Kraken Maw, Past_

Bisca woke up slowly as the light flooded into her room through the porthole. She tossed off the luxurious quilts and rolled out bed, placing her feet on the rug below. The whole room screamed comfort. Which was a fact that had surprised Bisca when she'd first set off weeks ago. She heard a knock on her door and she quickly rushed to thrown on a vest and pants.

"Come in!" She yelled. The door opened slowly and Diana entered. The woman's silver hair was done as nicely as ever, and from behind her entered another figure. He looked nearly identical to Diana but was male, and his silver hair was much shorter.

"This is my brother, Dima. He uses the same water magic as your friend Juvia. Now then, we've arrived. Please follow us," Diana instructed. Bisca nodded and followed them out of her room. They strolled through the halls of the galleon and up several staircases before they reached the main deck. It was bustling with activity as sailors were working the rigging, furling the sails and slowing the pace of the ship. Across the sea several other ships were distant as specks of the horizon.

"We're close now," Diana said reassuringly. "The rest of Ne'e's invitees are here, which means she'll greet us soon. And then we can set off for our destination." Bisca's heart sank a little. It had already been longer than she'd expected and it was still far from over. She missed Alzack.

Several minutes had elapsed and the ships on the horizon were growing close enough to see in detail. One was similar to the galleon on which Bisca stood. The other was a much smaller barque, and the final ship was massive. Nowhere near the size of the flagship, but easily twice the size of any other galleon.

"Is that the ship Ne'e is on?" Bisca asked incredulously. Diana and Dima chuckled and glanced at each other.

"No, that's Admiral Arapaima's ship. You don't need to know who he is, he's always just out hunting sea-beasts anyways." Bisca nodded her head and looked at the ship once more. It made sense now. Several cranes dangled from the sides and it looked as if it was constructed from bone and scale. The bleeding corpse of a huge turtle hung from one crane and several port holes were eeking blood into the sea.

"Is the ship always chumming?" Bisca looked up at the silver haired introverts beside her as she asked. They both nodded in unison.

"Yeah, he figures since sea-beasts are notoriously hard to track he might as well see if he can get any to come to him in the meantime. Oh, there's Ne'e," Dima stated nonchalantly.

Bisca looked around for a ship but was surprised to not see another. And then she found it. But it wasn't a ship. It was a raft with one small sail. Ne'e stood atop it in all of her glory as she had one had wrapped around the mast, and another holding a net full of fish.

"That's our boss," Diana said with a grin. The raft pulled up alongside the huge hunting ship and was lifted into the air by a crane. Bisca's vessel pulled up alongside it and several gangplanks were lowered between the two for ease of access. As soon as she stepped over the rickety wood onto the poop deck of the enormous ship she saw them both. She guessed completely on a whim that the giant Ne'e was talking too was Admiral Arapaima. Standing beside each other they seemed superhuman.

He was easily a head or two taller than Ne'e, and his flesh looked almost scaly. His hair was pink and red and a short beard covered his jagged face. The leaders of this guild were certainly something… Without warning Ne'e spun on her heel and her yellow eyes fixed onto Bisca.

"Ah, she has arrived! Your motion has brought you to me, young one. It is very promising. This is Arapaima, he too has strong motion for the coming tides of darkness." Bisca had to blink and repeat that phrase in her mind once more. Tide of darkness? She suddenly realized she had involved herself in something far deeper than she'd intended to. "Now, we must depart for the grove at once, I feel it. I feel the disturbance and we must hasten. Diana, Dima. This girl stays with you. I will join Bigs on his barque as it is the fastest vessel. At once!" And without another word Ne'e leapt from the side of the poop deck and landed loudly on the deck of the barque below. It unfurled its sails quickly and headed off into the west. Bisca watched as crew scrambled back to their original ships with crates and barrels, and without prompting Bisca followed Diana back onto the galleon.

"What's the grove?" Bisca asked. Diana didn't respond but simply kept walking. From, behind her, Dima answered the question.

"It is far easier to see in person than to describe. Be patient." And he continued with his task of ferrying the crew across. Bisca sighed and watched the sun reach higher and higher into the sky as the ocean glimmered like a gem. If there was one good thing to come out of this all it was how pretty everything around her was.

The gangplanks were pulled back in and the crew of the galleon went to work letting the sails loose. The ships all pulled away from each other at the pace represented by their sizes. Bisca couldn't help feel as if something was horribly wrong. She looked back at the hunting ship and saw that standing at the bow was Arapaima, glaring at her. She wasn't sure what it was, but it only served to heighten the tenseness in her body. She descended the main staircase to return to her cabin, shaking as she did so. Something was wrong. She couldn't get rid of this feeling. And worst of all she still missed Alzack.

* * *

Alzack was surrounded by friends. He hadn't expected that sailing on a cramped and awful smelling wooden tomb would be the catalyst for close bonds, but it had been. He didn't know all of their names, but he knew most of them. And now here he was. Drinking and partying back at home after a successful voyage. It was like coming home from a job but bigger and more grandiose. It made Alzack feel special.

"Hey, let's give one more cheer for tha pipsqueak!" Aaron roared as he raised a tankard the size of a barrel. The crowd rose all of their cups and glasses and gave a loud and drunken cheer. Alzack flushed and lifted his drink into the sky, before downing it.

"I've known that lil fella was special for a long time!" Malcolm shouted from a table. "He and the green haired girl took me down back when I robbed shit! That's no easy feat!"

"What the fuck do you mean?!" Bellowed Gaz from the bar. Alzack was surprised the guild master could talk, let alone stand. "Malcolm, you're a fuckin weakling and we all know it!" The present crew guffawed and began to tease malcolm, which only served to irritate the irritable drunkard.

"Oh, yea, sure! Any one of you fuckin wimps can go head and fuckin take me on right the fuck now! Who's first?!" And to Alzack's surprise someone did take Malcolm on. A big man with huge forearms hopped out of his seat and pounced on malcolm, dropping the both of them to the wooden floor. Fox smashed his glass cup on a table and randomly swung at a man beside him. Two more huge men grabbed Fox by the shoulders and heaved him into the table. Alzack was astonished.

"Fuck it, I'm in!" Aaron shouted eagerly. He downed one last tankard and picked up a chair, hurling into the crowd. It had already been a madhouse, but the chair had turned it to pandemonium. Everywhere drunk idiots were vomiting, rolling and punching. Gaz was hurling glass bottles into the brawl and laughing uncontrollably. Alzack thought he was safe, but suddenly one of the sailors sprinted for him. The gunslinger shrieked and dove away, but a high heel impacted with the sailors face first. Sarah sighed and gestured for Alzack to follow her.

The two weaved their way through the mess. One man was preparing to hit another with a bottle of rum, but Sarah nabbed it from his hands and took a swig before returning it.

"Does this happen often?!" Alzack shouted as he ducked beneath a flying chair. Sarah looked back at him and nodded her head. She put an arm up to stop Alzack, and Aaron charged in front of them, clotheslining six men. As soon as he was out of the way Sarah and Alzack continued. The two finally exited the bar into the hall. A woman in the hall glanced at the two of them and then to the door.

"Ay, there's a brawl!" She called down the hall. "Let's fucking go!" And another huge crowd sprinted down the hall and into the bar. Alzack looked at the madness with his jaw dropped.

"Look, Alzack. We're a crew of eternally horny and angry privateers. Fucking and fighting is honestly all we really know how to do…" Sarah explained. Alzack rolled his eyes and the two got in an elevator to the main deck. It was cramped, and Alzack could smell the sweat and alcohol from himself. And Sarah too. But her sweat clung to her and made her skin shine. It reminded him of that time her body oil did similar. He shook his head and tried to clear those kind of thoughts from his mind.

"Hey, by the way. Good job. You;ve been fitting in really well here, which I didn't expect. It's commendable." It took Sarah a while to get it all out, and Alzack could tell that she was slightly buzzed from the alcohol. He was too, he couldn't blame her.

"Thanks. I like it here. It's cool. You're really hot." And then he stopped. Why had he said that? He wasn't _that_ drunk. It was almost like something was willing him to move toward what he desired. And even if he didn't want to admit it, he desired Sarah a lot. She looked up at him in surprise, but instantly it turned into a smug smile.

"Oh, so it's like that? Ever since I met you I had a feeling green hair wouldn't be enough for you…" Alzack was extremely offended by that statement, but he couldn't help himself. All of the sudden his lips were on hers and her arms were draped over him. The elevator clicked open and they stumbled down the sandy street to Alzack's bungalow, lips still locked. Her jacket was off before they reached the door. Alzack put his hands on her chest and groped. They felt amazing, just as good if not better than Bisca's pair. The two slid into the bedroom and Sarah flopped onto the bed, tossing her bra and panties off into the corner.

"Don't worry, Al. If you use these it's not cheating…" Sarah cooed as she raised her chest to him. Alzack smiled and inserted his length into the valley of her cleavage, sighing as the softness encompassed him. She grinned and put her hands on the sides of her breasts, pumping up and down around the shaft. Alzack moaned and worked his hips with the motion, adding to the drunk stimulus he was experiencing. Sarah spit into it and lubed it up, making the whole thing loud with the sound of wet claps and squishes. The lewdity was beyond belief, and Alzack loved it. He was far too excited and pleased.

Outside crabs scampered and nightbirds roamed looking for insects. The world was unaware of Alzack's infidelity. For now.

 **GMG, Present**

Bisca was ready to jump with happiness. The two names swirled in the air around the arena. The duel was decided. Bisca Moulin against Sarah Fortune. She stalked her way down the stone steps and it all came back to her so vividly. Now was the time for revenge.

Alzack sat in his box and watched the names swirl. He hated what he had done. He leaned forward and gripped his hands together so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Come on Bisca…"

She stepped through the gate into the arena and stared across the enormous playing field. There was Sarah. That smug redhead was smiling and sultrily strutting her way.

"Hey, honey. Funny little coincidence this is, isn't it?" She winked at Bisca, which raised the ire of the green haired woman.

"Yeah, funny. It'll be funny when you've got more holes than a maggot infested slice of swiss cheese, whore."

"Oh, sounds like somebody's angry. You don't have to be jealous of me. Oh wait, you do." Sarah burst into a fit of laughter. Bisca smiled. This was fine with her. Shit talking just made a victory so much better. This was going to be completely one sided.

"Begin!" Roared the announcer. The crowd went wild and both females readied themselves. It was a quick draw contest. Sarah immediately rolled her guns out and used her signature bullet time. Waves and waves of hot shrapnel propelled forward towards Bisca.

The Fairy Tail wizard quickly requipped her grappling gun and shot at a far away portion of the wall. Her arm screamed in pain from the force of the liftoff but she bore it with pride as her body sped away from the incoming attack. Once she landed she requipped her signature sniper rifle and fired a bullet for Sarah's head.

The redhead slid across the dirt beneath the shot and fired two richoteing shots off to both sides, each one bouncing in several angles and directions towards Bisca. She followed it up by letting loose a bullet rain above Bisca's only exit position, assuring that at least one of her attacks would hit.

But Bisca didn't give a damn. She requipped to the purple laser rifle and with a sigh fired a lance of energy into Sarah. All three of the redhead's attacks landed on Bisca. But what was more important was Bisca's attack landing on Sarah. The Kraken Maw mage ragdolled and was blown across the stadium. Her body spun and bounced several times before coming to a stop far away, unmoving.

"Fuck you, bitch." Bisca said under her breath. She then turned and sent an icy glare up into the Fairy Tail box. Alzack locked eyes with her and quickly looked away. He knew that he would likely never be forgiven for what he'd done.

 _Past_

"Today is the day," Diana said from beside Bisca. All of the ships had now come to a stop in extremely shallow water. Across the sea there was a wall of green that sparkled in the sun. It looked like some sort of mangrove forest.

She loaded up in a dinghy beside the Kraken Maw twins and a few other crew members, and they slowly floated towards their destination accompanied by other longboats from Arapaima's ship. Waiting for them at the entrance to the sanctuary was Ne'e.

"Come, follow me in," She announced. And she then sat back down and gripped her own oars, steering into the mangrove forest. The sun was setting and the sky was darkening.

The group of boats rowed into the midst of the forest and the sunlight was blotted out by the treeline. It was brimming with foliage of smaller plants and large reptiles ambled across the surface of the water.

The moved further in. Bisca was afraid to break the silence. It was mystic. Firebugs fluttered and crickets chirped. It felt like a swamp. Then a light, brighter than the firebugs, came into view between the foliage. The boats snaked around a bend and it came into view. It was a temple. A large temple constructed of wood and seastone, upon which grew various plants and reeds. The entrance was shaped like a huge Kraken Maw. Bisca looked up at Diana and Dima who nodded at her. This was the inspiration for their guild.

The boats moored at wooden stakes in the sand in front of the temple and they all loaded off.

"We stay here tonight while I prepare for the ritual tomorrow. It can only be performed in the dawn, so you all must be prepared. Try to sleep if you can. E mālama i kāu mau moe." Ne'e spoke the last portion in a foreign language, of which Bisca had never even heard. The priestess stomped into the temple with most of the others behind. Bisca stayed outside with the twins.

"What did she say at the end there?" She asked to Diana. The silver haired woman shrugged.

"It means 'guard your dreams' ," Said a gruff voice. Arapaima finished tying off his longboat and strode past the trio. "This place produces strange visions, some are true and some are not. Don't read too much into 'em." He then entered the temple. Bisca gulped nervously.

"Arapaima was exiled from the same tribe Ne'e is from. That's why he doesn't have a traditional name, but he has her accent," Dima explained. Bisca nodded and the three stepped into the temple.

It was musty. Condensation hung in the air around the braziers that glowed with green flame. Vines hung from the ceiling and everywhere there were ponds filled with glowing fish. At the center of the main chamber was the skeletal structure of an enormous beast, the likes of which Bisca had never seen. Then there were smaller chambers filled with hammocks. Bisca entered one, but before she went to bed she took one last glance at Ne'e.

The priestess was kneeling on the stone floor and her tattoos were glowing.

* * *

Bisca woke up frightfully. She was no longer in the temple. She was in a comfortable bed somewhere else. The smell of salt and sweat were omnipresent, so she was guessing that she was still somewhere in the ocean. Then suddenly it wasn't a bed. She was sitting on a dinghy approaching a huge waterfall, like the ocean was collapsing into a void. She screamed and tried to jump out of the boat, but she was already over. Collapsing into the void.

Images. Quick flashes. Stills. She couldn't make out much more. A demon. A floating cube. Tentacles. A great beast of metal roaring into the sky. And then there was Natsu. But it couldn't be Natsu, he looked so much different. He looked… Evil. A huge army of icy warriors led by a woman with blue hair. Then suddenly it was calm. She wasn't surrounded by darkness. Instead she was in a small waiting room. It was hardly a box with one wooden door. And from behind the door came wet claps and moans. Bisca stood up, knowing full well what those sounds were. She didn't want to interrupt whoever was in there, but there was only one door. She thrust the door open.

Alzack was thrusting rythmically into that rehdead. She screamed in despair and the image contorted. Natsu was now standing between her and the painful adultery, and the pinkette was naked. He was impressive in all departments.

"Bisca, don't worry about that. I have something to show you…" His voice faded and the ground faded too. Natsu was sinking into the ocean. Bisca wanted to take his hand but she didn't want to drown. There was something else down there. A glowing orb. What was it? She was too afraid. She screamed once more. And then it all went black.

* * *

Bisca shot up in bed again. But this time it was her hammock in the temple. Which didn't soothe her nerves any. She wrapped her arms around her knees and wept silently. What did it mean? Was it true or was it false? She didn't know how to guard her dreams. She heard stirring from around her.

"Ah, you're awake already. Perfect. We're beginning soon," Diana said. The Kraken Maw mage took note of Bisca's condition. "Ah, you were visited by a vision. Ask Ne'e about it later, it could mean something."

Bisca nodded and gathered up her supplies. The group all followed Ne'e out of the temple, who was walking ceremonially toward a small raft. She set foot on it and began to chant in her native tongue, letting the current pull the raft away from the sandy shore.

The followers entered their boats and paddled after her, watching as the raft twisted and turned along the rivers of the mangrove forest. Bisca noticed that beneath the water she could see a faint glow, and she moved to look over the edge. Glowing fish were following the raft, almost as if the underwater world was looking forward to this ritual as much as the humans were.

They made one final turn and stopped. Ne'e continued floating forward into the middle of a vast lake, but the rest of them had halted.

"Why aren't we moving?" Bisca asked quietly. Diana pointed at the water. The Fairy Tail wizard took a second look and her eyes widened. The whole lake was covered in a layer of green pulsating algae. The raft on which Ne'e stood floated just above it, but their boats would definitely cut through it.

The raft drifted to the center of the lake and Ne'e stretched her arms out wide. Clouds hovered above and began to spin, blotting out the sun and turning the whole sky grey. This angered the sun feeding algae which then started throbbing violently. The surface of the lake quivered and the water rippled. Then Ne'e let herself fall off the raft with her back facing the water.

She disappeared for a moment. Then a greenlight pierced the algae and the clouds, shooting into the heavens. The algae followed the pillar and crawled up into the air, forming the outline of a human.

The plant matter fell away and revealed a massive and nude Ne'e. Her tattoos glowed and her eyes shone with yellow light. Tentacles were writhing on her back and where her hair had once been. She stared down at the boats and smiled.

"My children. Dark times are upon us. A reckoning will soon begin." A tentacle shot out of the water beside Bisca's longboat, and it stayed there momentarily. It then shot at Bisca and pulled her soul into the air. Bisca's eyes widened as she saw her ethereal form floating in front of her. "This one has the most promise of any of you. She shall be admin-"

"Ne'e, you old bitch! I'm the most worthy!" Arapaima roared. Ne'e smirked and another tentacle reached for him. His soul was pulled into the air and in seconds dozens of watery tentacles were beating upon it. Arapaima howled in pain and rolled out of the boat, stepping onto the layer of algae. He stumbled towards the writhing mass of tentacles to retrieve his soul, each step painful and exaggerated. He let out one last sigh and sank beneath the algae, his soul fading. Arapaima had perished. Bisca looked to her own soul in fear.

Tentacles rose up around it and Bisca knew that she would have to embark on the same challenge that Arapaima had just failed. She hopped out of the boat and the first tentacle swung. It felt like she had just been smacked by the iron scorpion once again. And there was more. Bisca screamed and fell to her knees, sinking into the algae slightly as the attacks continued, unceasing. The pain was so great that she couldn't breathe. Her vision blurred.

She then fell into the water, the algae opening up to let her in. Was this the end? Bisca opened her eyes and saw that it was pitch dark beneath the algae. Save for the light generated by the hundreds of swirling fish. This lake was filled with skeletons and remains of people. But this wasn't what Bisca focused on. The light of the fish was making… images. And it was the image of Alzack fucking Sarah. So it was true. Bisca felt her heat rise. This wouldn't be the end for her. She hadn't killed herself because of Alzack. He had now betrayed her. But at least she knew that there was one last thing to live for.

Bisca rammed her hands through the algae and climbed back up. The tentacles kept slamming, and the pain was immense, but she didn't stop. She wouldn't quit. She stepped forward and the tentacles ceased. Her soul reached its non-corporeal hand to her. And Bisca reached her own real hand out. The soul shot back into her body and the tentacles sank. Bisca sighed and fell back to her knees.

"Well done, young one. You have proven yourself. Now, you can be given the gift." Gift? Bisca didn't know what gift, but she knew that she was too tired to stay awake. Her eyes shut and she faded away.


	30. Chapter 30- Crocus Burning

**Chapter 30- Crocus Burning**

 _ **A/N: Ayyyyy, 50,000 views. Now let's go get 50,000 more.**_

Alzack saw Aaron take the field for his duel. He had some fond memories with the takeover mage from Kraken Maw. Many, in fact.

 _Past_

Alzack wallowed in silence. The ship was eerily quiet. None of the sailors attending to the rigging and sails were speaking. Just a faint midnight seabreeze. Wood creaked from behind him and Aaron sat himself beside Alzack, holding a rum in one hand offeratorily. Alzack took it, unsure as to why he was being treated, but certainly not opposed to it.

"I know about you and Sarah," Aaron said bluntly. There was none of the guttural harshness that usually permeated his speech. He sounded different. Alzack's eyes widened and he opened his mouth but Aaron sighed and tapped the rum bottle. "Drink up." The Fairy Tail wizard did as he was told.

"No, let me tell you. Sarah is lovely. Half this fucking guild lusts after her daily. She's fiery and strong and everything that these brutes want out of a woman. But you? It's been a month or two now, and I think I know you. Boy, you brought someone with you. And you now gotta make a choice. The sex with Sarah is probably divine, but is she worth it? You gotta pick her, or your actual fiance. Just make sure you choose soon. Cuz _you_ have to be the one to tell the green haired lady that you've been porkin a hotter babe. Either way you're gonna have to. And if you wanna know this idiot sea-hunter's opinion, I wouldn't pick Sarah." Aaron patted Alzack on the shoulder and gave a reassuring smile. He stood up and trudged away.

Alzack stared at the bottle of rum between sips, contemplating what he'd been told. It was all true, of course. He would have to make that choice. And he knew which one he was going to make, he was just worried about how.

 **Present**

Aaron transformed into his iconic half human, half manta ray takeover. He was ready to brawl. But then out of the air something else joined the fray.

A huge iron harpoon rammed through Aaron's chest and pinned him against the sand, blood geysering out as the man groaned. The crowd screeched in horror and Alzack stood up in shock. Natsu did as well, realizing that this event may be the beginning of whatever war Monte had warned Fairy Tail about.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please stay calm!" The announcer cried. Then a new development. The harpoon began to float into the air, pulling further and further into the sky. The sun was blotted out as a huge blimp ascended over the side of the coliseum. Two more passed from behind the mountains and soared over the city of Crocus. Chained to these two airships was a huge iron skeleton.

"Evacuate! Evacuate!" The announcer shrieked, tossing his microphone away and bolting for the staircase.

"Do not evacuate! Stay inside the coliseum!" A magic council representative cried into his speech projector. But only half of the crowd listened. Pandemonium had already begun. Ne'e glared at Aaron's corpse in horror as a black energy swirled out of the body and up into the airship.

The iron skeleton collapsed into the city and crushed a block beneath its weight. There weren't a vast amount of people present in the city, but those that were now began to run in a panic. Men wearing masks slung themselves out of the airships and were slashing and hacking these civilians down in the street.

Natsu sprinted into the lobby and saw Monte standing there waiting for him.

"Dragneel, stop the men out in the city! Save the innocent! I'm going up to put an end to all of this!" Natsu didn't question him. He saw the suffering behind the man's eyes. The guildmaster spun and saw not only his guild, but many of Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Kraken Maw there as well.

"Come on, we have to save them!" He roared. Meanwhile, in the arena, Ne'e flung herself out of the box and made a dash for the center of the coliseum. But she was too late. Aaron's corpse fell lifeless to the dirt and the rest of the black energy circled up into the blimp. Inside, and eager technomancer held an open book where the black words quickly filled up pages.

The coalition of guilds were trying to get to Crocus as quickly as possible but time was still required. Bisca was firing pot shots at whoever she could, but since she was in motion only a few of the terrorists were killed. People were still being hacked to pieces by the dozens. And with each fresh death a soul was sucked into the air and towards the iron skeleton.

The third airship passed above them and moved towards the other two. They were gathering for something.

Inside the third airship the technomancer channelled the new book and the gathered souls together through a huge lacrima. From behind him, Monte watched in sorrow. He was ashamed that he let it get this far. But he didn't want to give himself away too early. Now, though. Now was the time.

Monte's glowing hand ripped into the back of the technomancer, gutting him. The hooded dark mage fell to the ground sputtering. Monte sighed and took a step back, but his peace was short lived. The downed figure began to laugh.

"You fool, master suspected you of treason. This plan was never about sending a message to Tartaros, it's a new test!"

"A test?!" Monte roared. He picked up the technomancer with one hand and glared into his eyes.

"Yes. A test of the new autonomous demon machines! Oh. and I almost forgot…" A siren wailed and from all three blimps missiles spun into the air. When they had reached a certain height each exploded into a cloud of dense, black smoke. There had been so many missiles that the sun was now splotchy and difficult to see.

"Don't think that _you_ can go helping them," The technomancer spat. Monte roared in rage and tore the small man in half.

But it was too late for Crocus.

The iron skeleton creaked. The lacrima inside of it pulsed red with power. It exploded and the skeleton began to come alive, muscles and skin pulling and tightening around the framework.

Everyone who had been in the desert that fateful morning those months ago stopped dead in their tracks. Kagura and Lia froze. Kinana collapsed to her knees and began to weep. Even Jura stared in disbelief. It wasn't a scorpion this time, it was something much bigger.

It rose on two fat legs and continued to grow. Spines ripped from its back and a bulbous sack of glowing energy hung from its chin. It looked like some vile and demonic dinosaur. But three times the size. It was bigger than a dragon.

It's eyes lit up purple and it scanned the area around it. The being pulsed with energy and the spines on its back glowed the same color as its eyes. One of the three airships swung a hard left in the air and tumbled downwards. It was partially on fire, and Natsu made out the faint shape of a blonde man standing on top of it. The great contraption rammed into the monster and the hydrogen inside burst, covering the city in an orange glow that stung at the eyes of all onlookers.

But Jura knew it wouldn't have any effect. And he was right. The scrap metal fell and crushed small houses and shops. The burning fires lit the first few blocks worth of banners and houses up, and the fire began to spread. But the beast seemed only angered. And the first thing it's eyes settled on was the coliseum.

It's bottom jaw unhinged and peeled like a fowl flower. From deep in its gaping throat a faint purple glow could be seen. An emotion clung to those that remembered. Despair.

Inside of the coliseum rune knights and council members partnered with other present mages to create a massive forcefield around the building. They had no clue what was coming.

The spines of the beast glowed furiously and brightly, and faint wisps of smog poured out of the beasts' mouth. The heat of the city swelled, and the members of Demon Machine that had the misfortune of being too close to the beast howled as their skin bubbled and curdled.

Natsu saw that his comrades were all frozen in place, unable to move. They looked on at what was happening in horror. Some mute, others vocally. Lia was now on the ground sobbing. Bisca was visibly shaken too. But Natsu refused to stand by.

He charged down the rest of the ramp and sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him. As he ran he felt the heat build up around him, but with an activation of dragon force and dragon aspect it quickly became nullified. He swung a corner into a fiery square and stopped dead. The whole place was ablaze and several groaning bodies were cast around stone slabs. They were melting. Boiling alive. His eyes widened and he saw that inside one of the shop fronts several burnt corpses were splayed out. And they were the corpses of innocents. Natsu had witnessed death and wanton violence. But not like this. He looked back and up and saw that the red fire was now reflecting off the dark clouds of smoke in the sky. And framed by this hellish nightmare was the great demon machine standing above him.

Natsu had been too late.

It started as a rolling cloud of smog, puffing into the air before falling down into the fire. But as time passed the energy became refined into a purple energy, almost liquid in form. And as the creature continued the beam continued turning into a lance of pure light. It ripped across the city scape and hit the forcefield around the coliseum. The magical barrier barely lasted a second. Stone and dirt were flung into the air as it shattered, immediately evaporating hundreds of wizards and innocent tournament viewers. The beam subsided but the damage was done. Physically and mentally.

Natsu collapsed to his knees as cries and crackles of fire rang out around him. The ground shook like an earthquake every step the demon took, rattling Natsu's bones. But he couldn't get up. The salamander thought he had seen it all. But now… He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. No. He wouldn't give up now, or ever. One face came to mind. One person. He just needed to protect her. She had seen hell like this before and it had almost claimed her spirit. Natsu knew he was the last solid thing in Bisca's life. In fact, in many of Fairy Tail's lives. He had to stop this thing. For them.

A loud explosion rang out. Natsu sighed and trembled with anger. The demon must've destroyed something else. But when Natsu looked into the sky a different sight greeted him.

One of the remaining two airships was flaming with several holes in its sides. And a being bathed in white light was turning in the air towards the other airship. It was Jenny. The thrusters of her exo-soul blazed and missiles of light shot from her arms, tearing into the dirigible and opening up its hydrogen hold. Two for two.

Far away from the city, on the still intact ramp of the coliseum, this show of power was inspiring to every onlooker. They suddenly felt a new sense of confidence instilled in them.

"Let's do this!" Lyon yelled as he lead the charge down the ramp. Dozens of wizards stormed down as well, all forming one huge phalanx ready to reclaim the city. There were still hundreds of unmelted Demon Machine lackeys in the city, and they too yelled defiantly in preparation of this last fight.

To the machine, however, they were mere ants. But that excluded Jenny, who the demon considered an angry wasp. She soared along its enormous back and strafed it with missiles and bombs. Explosions rippled across the surface of the beast, sending clumps of flesh and blood to the burning cityscape below.

It huffed angrily and shook itself. Several pores across its back tore open and tendrils of metal flew into the air. Jenny spun to avoid the first few blows but one of them swatted her out of the air. She huffed and soared down towards the fiery ruins below. Natsu yelled and flew into the air, sucking flames from around him to power the fires coming out of his feet. He caught the blonde mid air and landed gently in the center of a relatively safe town square.

But the demon continued its slow march towards the palace.

"Natsu!" A voice yelled from behind the two. The salamander looked back and saw a familiar blue haired man wreathed by several blue cloaks. It was Jellal and Crime Sorciere.

"Jellal?! How do we stop that thing?!" Natsu bellowed, shoving a finger into the air in the direction of the demon. Jellal didn't respond, but instead looked to his side where one of the figures clad in blue stepped forward. He flung off the hood and revealed himself to be Monte. Natsu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Inside of that demon is a lacrima containing the harvested souls of many tragic deaths along with the writings from a Book of Zeref. It'll keep regenerating no matter what we do to it, but with enough force there's a possibility that we can open a wound big enough, for long enough to expose the lacrima. At that point we'll need either Jellal, Jenny, or Jura to deliver a concentrated strike large enough to wipe it out."

The whirring of a motorbike sounded and Racer spun into view down an alley, sliding the tries across the pavement as he came to a stop near Jellal.

"The casualty report from the coliseum is bad. The king and princess are safe and being moved, but we lost a lot of good people. Many of the Magic Council bigwigs were wiped the fuck out. There's still a lot of alive people and the rubble is being searched for more bodies… It doesn't look good…" He then looked across the burning city and sighed. "And who knows how many dead and dying are out here…"

Jellal nodded.

Further out in the crammed alleys and burning ruins many smaller fights had broken out. Kagura was dicing through enemies as Lia zoomed in the air above, dancing elegantly with her blades. At the other end of the alley the evil lackeys began to panic as another group boxed them in. A flurry of cards and bullets surged into them like fish in a barrel. They dropped like flies as energy surged and coursed all around.

It was Kraken Maw. Well, Kraken Maw excluding Ne'e. Malcolm and Fox looked at each other then up at Lia with grins on their faces.

"Oy, you use magnetism, right?" Fox asked. Lia nodded her head slowly. "Then come with us, we have a fucking plan…"

* * *

Alzack didn't quite know how he'd been separated from the group, but here he was. His pistols were glowing red hot from being fired so often. Shot after shot flew into the charging enemies, but they kept coming. And he was unable to stop them all. The first stepped into arm's reach of Alzack, javelin high. He knew it would be the end.

The hook of a grappling gun landed in the brick beside the gunslinger and the air filled with the sound of rapid gunfire. A familiar green haired woman landed in front of him and pumped hundreds of rounds into the enemy. The minigun didn't cease until they had all dropped.

She turned her neck so that she could make eye contact with her ex-fiance, but it wasn't loving. It was devoid of all emotion save cold anger. And it was terrifying to Alzack. It broke his heart all over again. The minigun disappeared from her hands and she fired her grappling gun, soaring away once more.

Alzack looked around. Death and fire. This was what Crocus looked like. But it was also how he felt. He wanted to keep fighting. He wanted to persevere. But what was the point? He began to cry, and before long he had fallen to the bloodstained pavement. He laid there, bawling his eyes out, for what seemed like an eternity…

But then footsteps.

A charging column of Demon Machine men rounded a corner and spotted Alzack on the ground. He stood up and tried to run, but a javelin pierced his left calf and dropped him. Alzack reached his fingers into the cobbled ground and tried to drag himself away. The boots were approaching. He rolled onto his back and reached for his guns, but he was too late.

A different gun fired and the man above him fell backwards with a hole in his chest. Alzack's eyes widened as more gunfire rang out, and a heel clicked.

"You okay, Al?" Alzack knew the voice instantly. He looked up and saw Sarah lean over him. She pulled the javelin out of his leg without warning, causing the Fairy Tail mage to cry out in immense pain. Sarah sighed and ripped one of her sleeves, wrapping it around his wound.

"Suck it up. We both fucked up, and we both ruined what you had. I'm sorry. And I know you're more sorry. So stop being a pansy! You can't just keel over and die!" Sarah grabbed his collar and spit in his face.

The ground quaked and they both looked up in horror. Something was coming off of the back of the monster. It was a large spinning rod that suddenly split into hundreds of swirling cables. And then the cables dove into the city.

"Fuck. We need to run." Sarah picked Alzack up and slung his arm over one shoulder to support his weight.

The writhing mecha tendrils were indiscriminately attacking anything they encountered. Dozens of Demon Machine lackeys were eviscerated in place and their souls consumed to fuel the furnace inside of the beast.

Further out,

Diana and Dima of Kraken Maw were slinging water attacks at the fires raging around them. Ne'e was using her tentacles to hold the ground troops at bay.

"Rescue the innocent! Don't let their motion end here, it is not time!" She bellowed. Diana and Dima nodded, when one of the houses near them collapsed. A pulsating mecha tendril consumed a weeping father and then turned on to the silver-haired twins. Dima slung a water slicer in its direction but the heat radiating off of the metal evaporated it instantly.

Ne'e looked in horror as the machine shot through Dima, who was unharmed, and penetrated Diana's chest. The Kraken Maw wizard died instantly, and Dima cried out. The machine then spun and launched a strange purple liquid at the brother, solidifying him for long enough to pierce his skull. Ne'e screamed and ran forward, but she was far too late.

The glowing souls shot up the length of the machine towards the demon's main body. Ne'e felt her lower lip give out in a combination of rage and sorrow. The tendril shot at her but she caught it in one hand and wrung it like a weak snake. It went limp and she pulled it, tearing off a large chunk of the metal. But it didn't bring her friends back. Ne'e roared and her tattoos began to glow.

"This is the end for you…" She whispered.

All over the city of Crocus similar scenes were unfolding.

Shadow Gear sprinted through a narrow alley as two tendrils followed, smashing the trash bins and plaster walls of the homes as they convulsed. Max's sand had no effect on the enemy. Droy tried to erect plant walls but it was mulched instantly. And Jet could outrun them, but he couldn't leave his friends.

But one of the tendrils did something unexpected. A harpoon shot out of its center and pierced Droy's shoulder. The wizard screamed and put his hand on it to pull it out, but as he did so several blades opened up along the length of the harpoon. Droy stopped and fell to the ground in pain.

"Droy!" Max yelled. He threw a sandstorm to try to slow the progressing tendrils but they continued to seize towards Shadow Gear. Droy looked up and tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Get out of here. I'm so sorry, Levy…" Jet screamed and tried to run forward to save his friend, but Droy used the last of his energy to raise a barricade between them. Jet bit his lip and picked up Max in a fireman's carry, and took off at full speed. Both men began to cry uncontrollably.

Members of every guild tried to halt the progress of the tendrils, but many were overcome. It was carnage. And every soul that was added to the belly of the beast, it's spines glowed an even brighter purple. Like it was powering up for something…

Yuka and Toby sprinted towards the Lamia Scale meeting zone. They were so close… In front of them a manhole exploded and from the sewer a quivering tendril erupted into the street, surveying what was nearby. It immediately locked on to the two Lamia Scale members. Toby and Yuka turned around but a second tendril was coming out of the sky from the demon itself. Yuka created an anti-magic barrier, but these tendrils were far from magical. The mages were butchered like animals in the street.

The remainder of Lamia Scale gathered around the scrap metal of the three fallen airships. Sherry closed her eyes and the scrap floated up into the air, swirling and assembling into a last ditch effort to save them all.

"Hurry, there are bunch of tendrils coming!" Lyon barked. Sherry kept her focus. The metal was forming into a large avatar of steel. Lyon and Jura turned to the area where the snaking tendrils were advancing from, slinging various magics in their direction. Some collapsed beneath the pressure of Jura's stone and Lyon's ice, but just as many kept coming.

"It's done, get in!" Sherry cried. The group hopped onto its hand as it tossed them into the holding compartment. All but Jura, who sat staunchly on the shoulders of the giant. This was their attack vector, from this height he would attempt to use his ultimate move.

The steel fighter took a step forward, and for the first time the massive demon was forced to divert its attention from the palace. There was finally an enemy worthy of its time. Hundreds of tendrils quit their tasks in the city below and shot upwards, piercing different points of Sherry's contraption.

The iron giant gripped at the tangle and pulled, severing the vast majority from the demon. The gap between the two was closing. Jura and Lyon flung their magic to pepper the demon. Columns of stone and ice dragons made contact with the monstrosity but it had no effect.

But the gap had 's avatar swung its massive fist at the demon's head and the blow hit. But the fist stopped, unable to budge the creature. The demon snorted and did something unexpected, it quickly lunged at a speed unbelievable for its size and bit into the iron avatar. Jura began to channel Rumbling Mount Fuji, but Sherry had been too damaged from the bite to keep the avatar whole. The metal collapsed and the scarps once again fell to the ground. Jura fell with them, his attack sputtering out and becoming useless. He groaned angrily and crated two massive boulders, closing them like a guillotine in an attempt to do some sort of vague semblance of damage to this massive enemy. The rocks shattered as Jura fell, once again being useless.

But reinforcements had arrived. A constellation formed in the air and a huge ray of energy fell onto the demon's head, exploding into flesh and blood. Jenny held Natsu in the air and they flew past the monster. On the ground, Racer was riding his back with Jellal planted in the back. They were going to take down this demon.

And then they saw something on the horizon that shocked them, albeit in a very positive way. A huge ironclad battleship was floating. In the air. At the front of the ship Kagura and Lia both stood in pain.

It felt like their muscles were in a constant state of being torn. Kagura was fighting to lessen the gravity of the ship, and Lia was fighting to keep it floating. The mounted guns atop the main deck fired and each shell exploded against the demon. Blood guts, and metal went flying against the cityscape and the beast howled in agony.

It then turned and a purple glow emanated from the back of its throat. Lia's eyes widened as she stared into it, waiting for her end to come…

But suddenly, a huge green tentacle tore from the ground beneath the demon and wrapped itself around the monsters neck, tugging its head down. The beam hit the city and exploded outwards, creating a window of opportunity for every party involved.

Jenny dropped Natsu who spun downwards crackling with fire and electricity. A column of flame erupted into the air as he made impact with the creatures back. The cannons atop the ironclad continued their volleys, blowing the whole head off of the monster. Another constellation tore into the beast from the sky. Natsu could see the glow of the lacrima beneath the blood and flesh.

"Jenny!" He roared. She switched forms to her Christina Divine Soul, and looked to where Natsu was. The salamander dove out of the way and she released all hell. Or heaven, rather. A magical bombardment of pure light and divinity fell into the opened wound and the demon exploded instantly. Blood, guts, pus, and every other imaginable fluid rained down upon the city. It was over. Or so they all thought.

Amidst the red fog purple began to glow. Huge beams of purple energy shot out and spun, like some sort of party gobo ball. One clipped Jenny's wing and she shrieked, spiraling downwards towards the ground. Natsu was hit directly with one, melting at his ethereal dragon armor and casting him off of the back of the giant. The ironclad was directly impacted and sliced in multiple pieces. Lia and Kagura cried out and began to tumble towards the ground. On the inside of the helm, Fox wept as he cradled the smouldering corpse of his partner Malcolm.

On the ground, Jellal looked to Monte.

The fog cleared and they saw the whole damage they had done. The lacrima was completely exposed, but still very much intact. And as they stood the flesh was reforming around it. The beast quivered and began to glance about with its dead eyes.

Natsu hovered over Jenny's unconscious body and glared up at the demon. The flesh was reforming fast. He had one shot. He began to suck in fires from around him and rebuild his dragon force.

As he did so a boot stomped behind him. He turned his head and saw a very tired looking Ne'e.

"I will throw you, Salamander." Natsu nodded. He was glad for that, if he had to expend energy to fly with flames he wouldn't be strong enough to take it out. A water tentacle formed and wrapped itself around Natsu's waist. He was ready.

The Kraken Maw priestess hurled the Guild Master of Fairy Tail with immense force. And as Natsu flew he saw another constellation form in the sky. This was it.

Natsu watched the faces fly before his eyes. His friends on Tenrou. His friends at home. Jenny and Bisca. All of the other guild members here who he wanted to protect. His body started to spin and the energy of two elements formed around his body. Lightning and fire.

"Lance of the Fiery Thunder Dragon!" As the constellation fell and impacted the lacrima, so did Natsu. A fiery flower formed at the impact zone and each petal exploded, along with the strike from the pure kinetic force that the Salamander had delivered. A huge crack formed in the side.

And then the lacrima exploded. Natsu was engulfed in light. All across the city people watched what had just occurred. Nab took a break from smashing Demon Machine lackeys. Sarah and Alzack stopped their waddle. Bisca glanced through her scope.

The demon let out a pitiful moan and it began to melt, all of the muscle and skin melting off of the skeleton. A huge lake of sludge formed beneath the legs and the creature collapsed into the buildings below.

There was no cheering or celebration. Simply one enormous sigh of relief. But it didn't last long. Crocus was still on fire, and people had still died by the thousands.

But most terrifying of all, at least for those that knew him. What had happened to Natsu?

 **Tartaros**

Mard Geer looked down at his subject with a smug grin. She had just returned from Crocus, and she had much to tell him. This was the beginning of a new era. Perhaps it would soon be time to begin the Face project.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31- Mourning**

"No. I'm not leaving yet. We'll take Demon machine down, and then I'll go. I can't stand being weak anymore…" Gray said as he wiped the tears from beneath his eyes. He stood in front of two closed caskets, and beside him was Jura and a wheelchair bound Sherry.

The caskets were to two of their fallen comrades. But the real tragedy was that these weren't the only two. Every coroner's office in Crocus had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of bodies. And in many cases, like Yuka and Toby's, nobody was even sure if these were their corpses. They had been found in piles of bone and chopped meat.

And they weren't the only ones. All around similar scenes of grief and mourning were playing out.

Fairy Tail had been lucky. Out of all their members in Crocus, only one had died. But one was too many in the opinion of the majority of those gathered around Droy's empty casket. Max and Jet cried and clung to each other. Warren was down. Macao had his hand on Romeo's shoulder holding back tears. Romeo was crying enough for the both of them, or at least that's what Macao figured as he sniffled. Lia and Kagura stood side by side both glaring at the ground. Rain battered the circle of standing wizards, soaking them to the bone. The last of the fires were put out by the divine shower.

The mud thickened and the rest of the rubble finally fell to the streets. One questioned hung on many's mind.

Bisca wasn't present at the gathering near Droy's casket. She was high on the coliseum frantically glaring through her scope for somebody. The same person that Jenny fluttered through the air desperately searching for.

Where was Natsu?

Alzack sat by himself on a crate, removed from the rest of Fairy Tail. He sniffled and looked up into the sky where the rain beat on his face and hid the tears. Shoes stomped through the mud and a figure crouched down beside him.

Her red hair was soaked and clung to her dampened shirt. Her make-up was gone, washed away from the night before and the weather of now. Alzack lowered his head very slowly and saw her looking at him. He didn't know what to feel. The pain in his leg hadn't disappeared, but he definitely owed his life to her. But at the same time he hated her. Not for who she was or what she'd done, but for what she reminded him of.

None of that mattered now. There was something in her eyes, a hollowness. It was disturbing.

"You know, I envy you, Alzack." Sarah said. She reached a hand up and put her finger on a tear, which surprised Alzack. She had found the one warm drop of fluid on his face amidst the rest of the cold. "I haven't cried since my parents died. And I lost so much family just now, but I can't do it. I can't feel it, or at least the way you do. The way _they_ do," She said, gesturing to the crowd of mourners nearby.

"Even Ne'e is shaken up about what happened. I don't know if Kraken Maw will ever come back here for this tournament, hell I don't know if we'll ever make port again. But we'll see where the tide takes us. Where it takes _me._ Thank you, Alzack. For everything." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. He was still frozen. Frozen while she stood up. Frozen while she gave him one last look of longing. Frozen while she made her way through the mud back towards the city.

And then he moved. He leaned back and tilted his head back to the sky. The rain pittered against his face one more and hid the tears that began to flow like streams. There was no longer hope in Alzack's life. He hadn't quite digested what Sarah had said. But he felt as if that would be their last interaction. He wished he knew where Bisca had gone. Not that it mattered, she wanted nothing to do with him.

Alzack had chosen. He had chosen, just like Aaron said. And he knew it was the right choice, but it didn't feel like it. It only felt lonely and sad. This was twice now. Twice he'd experienced mechanized horror and sustained injuries. Emotional as well as physical. How much could he be repaired? A person could only break so many times and be expected to fully recover.

Alzack had once read somewhere that turkeys could drown by looking up into the rain. That didn't sound so awful. He opened his mouth and let the droplets flood inside. But only for a moment. He shut his lips and gritted his teeth. As always, he was a coward.

Outside of the city limits the group of mages clad in blue sat around Jellal. All but Ultear, who stood watching the city mournfully.

"Ultear, I really wish that you could go in there and reverse time on the ruins. I truly do, but we're still fugitives. We did all that we could…"

"Which definitely doesn't feel like enough…" Monte added as he sat in the mud. "Oh, and by the way. Demon Machine will be moving to a new headquarters by the end of the week. I sympathize with the people who lost loved ones down their, but we need to mobilize as soon as possible."

"I know!" Snapped Jellal. "Just… Just give them one day. They've earned a day to pay their respects."

Monte sighed and laid back in the mud, covering himself in it. He didn't care.

"I guess you're right. So we'll give them a day… Oh by the way, do we know what happened to Natsu?"

Jellal, Ultear and Meredy all looked at each other slowly then back out into the city. Truthfully, none of them did. And now that Jellal put his mind to it, that fact was rather worrying.

* * *

Bisca hadn't quite given up on her search for Natsu yet, but for now she sat on top of a large tower and watched the cart filled with Kraken Maw rumble across the plains towards the port town. It was bittersweet. Bisca really did enjoy the company of those pirates, and she pondered on the likelihood of seeing them again. Sadly, it was very low. At least she assumed.

The idea of that red-head angered Bisca. Just thinking about Sarah made the Fairy Tail wizard angry. But how long could she hold on to that anger? As long as she wanted, Bisca decided. But even if she was mad at Sarah, good people had died. Aaron was pleasant in his own gruff way. Diana and Dima were socially inept but they had been nothing but kind to Bisca in the short time they had shared together. And Malcolm was funny as hell. Bisca couldn't cry. She no longer knew how to.

Across the city the faint shape of Jenny's exo-form was still fluttering in the air. Bisca sighed as she observed it distantly, admiring the other woman's tenacity. The green-haired gun mage sighed and picked up her rifle. If Jenny was still searching Bisca guessed that she should probably follow suit.

* * *

Again.

Once again something had happened and he was able to do so little to stop it. And to rub salt in the wound, he was _there_ this time. There was no reason he shouldn't have been able to put an end to it.

Natsu curled his hands into fists and seized violently in the darkness. He was fuming mad. Two years ago his friends had disappeared at Tenrou. He hadn't been able to stop it. Then the fucking Wolf Pack invaded Magnolia and he stopped it too late to save many of his friends, and the whole city even went to war with itself afterwards. He couldn't keep Jenny in his life. He couldn't save Ichiya in the desert from the Scorpion. And now this latest incident. What kind of guild master was he?

In Makarov's time, Natsu wondered how many good Fairy Tail wizards had died. How many had been exposed to the types of horrors that the guild was currently experiencing. None in Natsu's memory. They always had managed to persevere.

But now it seemed that each and every instance of that preservereance came at a cost. A grand cost. The cost of the lives of good people.  
In this grand darkness Natsu could only see himself, cast in the glow of the flames emanating from his presence. But he felt a sudden change in the air, as if he was being joined by someone else. And the intense feeling of dread clued Natsu in as to who had joined him.

"Am I dead?" Natsu asked. The figure behind him sighed and stepped around Natsu's kneeling body to come into view. Just as the Salamander had suspected.

"No, Natsu. You're still alive. Your consciousness, however, can be called into question," Zeref began. "Tread carefully as you continue. There's something inside of you of which you know very little. But it is powerful, and it is beautiful. I cannot help you unlock it, but it has the propensity to be used for either good or evil. Good luck, brother." And as soon as he had appeared, he was gone. Natsu chuckled.

Zeref had called him brother. Surely the dark lord must have known that the two weren't friends. It was an odd term of endearment but the Salamander laughed it off. He instead got to thinking about what was in him.

But that could wait too. Because Natsu was waking up.

* * *

Jenny heard a loud rumble and she looked down below her. A huge pile of rubble was beginning to glow orange and the pieces of plaster and wood were shaking. Her eyes widened in excitement and she quickly dove out of the air to fall towards the movement.

The rubble exploded outward and he rose from the ashes. His pink hair and his waving scarf. Jenny smiled. It was Natsu.

"Natsu!" Jenny exclaimed as she landed. She threw her arms around him and tackled him to the ground happily. The Fourth Master chuckled and hugged back, but inside he felt more conflicted. The intense guilt was hard to shake.

"Thanks, Jenny." The two stood up and another familiar friend slung her way towards the crater. It was Bisca. Natsu smiled. They had been worried about him, he supposed. But the second thing to catch his eye was the pure state of ruin and destruction that surrounded him. Natsu sighed.

But then a third figure stepped near the crater. Monte cast off his blue hood and shared a look of sadness with Natsu over what had occured.

"The boss wants to talk with you," Monte stated. Natsu nodded his head. Time for business.

* * *

"We need to move by tomorrow," Jellal informed Natsu. The pinkette nodded his head slowly, one of the only gestures he'd found himself making for the past hour or so. "Mobilize your people and we'll be going."

"No," Natsu spat. "Just me. I can't bring anyone else." The members of Crime Sorciere glanced at one another uncomfortably before Ultear stepped forward.

'What do you mean, Natsu? Demon Machine is too powerful for just us, we need a lot of strong mages…"

"I can't send anyone else to their deaths…" Natsu muttered.

"Oh give me a fucking break!" Monte exclaimed. Everyone's eyes turned to the blonde man quickly, who had his arms crossed in disappointment. "You're just being selfish!" Natsu sprinted forward and stood directly in Monte's face.

"How fucking dare you-" But before Natsu could finish Jellal put a hand on the guild master's shoulder.

"He's right, Natsu. He may have worded it poorly, but you're being selfish. You're putting all the blame on yourself for god knows what reason. But it isn't your fault. And you can't keep blaming yourself for the shit that goes wrong under your guidance. The fact of the matter is, we need a strong group to take down this mess before any more innocents die. At no any cost. So we need you to mobilize your people."

"Please, Natsu," Ultear reasoned. The Salamander looked at the muddy ground and trembled. They had all spoken the truth. And he wasn't so prideful that he would overlook how wrong he was.

"Alright. I'll gather _volunteers_."

Jellal smiled and extended his hand. But Natsu didn't take it. He simply turned on his heel and made his way back to the city. It was a sad day. And Everyone just needed to let it out.


	32. Chapter 32- Out of the Frying Pan, Into-

**Chapter 32- Out of the Frying Pan, Into the-**

"We need more time!" The dark priest roared across the meeting table. At the center of the ovular table was an engraving of the insignia of Demon Machine. And the denizens who sat around it were far from pleased.

"I'm aware, Irae…" Rumbled the guild master, the grand architect of the misfortunes caused at the most recent Grand Magic Games. "But even now a little expedition force of wizards approaches us."

"We can hold them off!" Spat a darkened figure. One of the guild master's personal guards. "The Millions are trained for this!"

"You underestimate them, Mercutio." Said another voice calmly. "With them is that traitorous Montezuma, who used to be a member of the Millions. Unless you've already forgotten…"

"It isn't just Montezuma, either," Crooned a female. "With them are some very powerful wizards. Natsu Dragneel, Jura Neekis, and Jellal Fernandes, to name a few. I'm sure we can all deal with them, but it would be challenging."

"And the success rate would be low." The dark priest, Irae, drummed his iron fingers of the metal table. "We've never had a break-in, so the security systems remain untested. That being said, through drills we've conducted the effectiveness is rated at an overall seventy-two percentage. It's all about buying time." The guild master nodded and looked at his veteran warriors.

"Time. Time indeed. We'll funnel them into chamber four. Scenario sixteen dash six in the manual. Now read up, they'll be here within the hour." The guild master rose and turned. The time of judgement was at hand.

* * *

The rag tag team of wizards stood at the base of the mesa. It looked unassuming, just another rocky formation in the middle of dozens of others. But Monte knew better. He crouched to the ground and pointed at the dust beneath his feet, tracing a line with his finger.

"There's only one way in from out here. It'll either be heavily guarded, or they'll just let us in…"

"Why would they do that?" Lia asked, interrupting him. Monte sighed and glanced at the mesa once more.

"There's a very detailed manual outlining what they need to do for every possible scenario. And a lot of them hinge on trapping the enemy inside."

"Does it count as a trap if we know we're about to get trapped?" Lyon questioned. Monte let out a dry laugh, which quickly turned into a sigh.

"This is going to be so fucking dangerous. And there's a very high chance anyone who isn't Natsu or Jellal will die. But we have to get in there before they move the equipment. The last important detail is this. The place will be crawling with science experiments gone wrong. I don't know what that entails exactly, but it'll grotesque and dangerous. The foot soldiers will be armed to the teeth, and you may even encounter a vehicle or two. But the most deadly of all is the Millions. The taskforce I was once apart of. We weren't allowed to know each other's magics, but I'm sure they're all S class level, _at least_. Making a thought out plan won't work here, so our best bet is to brute force these fuckers."

"That works for me," Natsu commented. Monte nodded his head and stood up. He looked to Natsu, who looked back at everyone else.

"Let's fucking do this."

* * *

The silence was beyond eery. Monte had been right, unfortunately. The group stalked through the huge metal hallway slowly, the only light coming from flickering bars of lacrima hanging from the ceiling.

There were about ninety mages in all, with the best and brightest from several guilds along with a few volunteers of less notoriety. And to Monte most of them were dead men walking. In fact he doubted more than four of them would walk out alive.

The hall opened up and spilled into a much more massive cylindrical chamber. It had similarly dim light but several shapes could be made out. Hanging cranes and trellises were extending from the walls, and a massive pit was open in the center of the room. The group crept carefully in, nervous and on edge. If there was going to be a trap, now seemed a good a time as any for Demon Machine to spring it.

And spring it they did.

The lights all turned on at once in a blinding fluorescent glare. Many of the wizards were taken aback and quickly raised their palms to blot out the light. But the damage was done. On the trellises and bridges men in gas masks and body armor marched out into neat rows, extending rifles downwards at the mages who were gathered like fish in a barrel.

Thousands of bullets filled the air. Jura roared and raised several stone walls in front of who he could. Lia redirected the shots that came near her, but to her dismay controlling an enormous steel ship and controlling thousands of tiny bullets were tasks of similar difficulties.

Several of the wizards fell to the ground in bloody messes, which was enough to break the wills of others. Jellal shouted for them to stay calm but they paid it no mind. The only way out was the pit. Two mages jumped in desperately to avoid getting hit with more twenty-two millimeter.

The pit wasn't any better, though. A huge snake like demon machine slithered out of the pit with the shredded torsos of its latest victims in its swirling jaws.

Natsu roared in anger and sprinted forward with his dragon force activated and flaming. As his body soared through the air he felt a tensing of his muscles and an immense pain shoot through his body.

The rest of the group looked on in shock as Natsu was swatted out of the air like a fly. And it kept worsening. A demon machine that had the appearance of a wyvern soared downwards through the cylinder and a gust of flame covered the floor. Everywhere wizards shrieked as they were torn to pieces by bullets, consumed by the snake, or burned alive. It was an absolute slaughter. Jellal and several others tried to fire back their magic into the trellises to down a few attackers, but everytime one of their abilities flew into the air a black rift would open and consume it. Jellal cried out in enraged frustration and looked to Monte.

"What the fuck do we do?!" Monte stared at Jellal and then at the scene surrounding him. Truthfully, the blonde mage had no idea. This was far worse than he'd expected.

A loud creaking sounded through the chamber and several huge doors slid upwards, revealing long and dark halls. Monte knew that entering any of these was just hopping out of the frying pan and into the fire, but to the egg burning on the pan even the fire seemed better from afar.

It seemed everyone else had jumped to the same conclusion. Mad dashes were being made to the nearest entry, splitting up the task force into four small splinters of maybe seven or eight people each. They'd lost over half of their original amount.

Natsu stepped into the hall and glanced behind him, watching the door slide back down to close them off. There was only one way to go now. And that was forward.

" _Alright, what's the next phase?"_

" _Let the traps and specimens do the hard work. I'd bet each of us individually can take them down if there's only two or three. Personally, I wanna fight the salamander…"_

" _He'd eat you alive, idiot. For now we watch and study. Then we can have our fun."_

It was dark and extremely difficult to see, but Kagura innately knew that she'd been separated from Lia. The girl gripped her sword tightly as she walked further into the dark tunnel. She had no clue who these other people were. A purple haired woman. A pink haired girl. Some other varying hair colors. It didn't matter. What mattered was in front of her. The frightening darkness and the sinking feeling of despair in her chest.

The walls around her trembled and shook and several of the light fixtures on the ceiling erupted into storms of glass. And then from behind them the drumming of feet.

"Run!" Someone shouted. Ultear flung ropes of ice through the corridor to slow the advance of whoever it was that was chasing. But as they sprinted a loud shatter pierced their ears and one of the wizards in their group fell to the ground. There was a huge metal harpoon connected to a chain embedded in their dead comrade, and his bloody body was now being dragged backwards into the darkness. And then it came forward. The corpse of the wizard was ground to pieces in the surging maw of the iron snake, which hissed menacingly at the group.

Ultear took a step forward and gestured for the rest of the remaining mages to get behind her. The snake snarled and dashed forward slithering along the corridor ready to strike.

"Luminous minutes!" Ultear yelled. Her orb multiplied and flew forward so quickly that it's appearance changed entirely, looking like beams of pure light. The attack pierced dozens of bleeding holes in the snake and thwarted its charge forward. Kagura didn't want to stand by uselessly.

The corridor began to crumple around the beast and it became entirely incapacitated. Ultear smirked and pulverized the head of the creature with her orbs, leaving it a steaming mess of broken metal and destroyed skin.

"That's Ultear for you!" Meredy shouted happily. But their trials were far from over. The whole area darkened more than it had already been, and the room took on a strange humidity. Kagura could no longer even say her hand in front of her, and she began to panic. But another oddity, her panic didn't create gravity. She felt like nothing was changing at all.

Ultear was nervous as well. She tried to cast her orb into the air to create light, but as soon as it left her palm it disappeared into the darkness.

"What's going on?!" Meredy asked, her voice quivering with fear. A loud chuckle resounded around them all.

"You've now entered my domain…" A booming voice announced. "Your stories have come to an end."

* * *

It was hot. Blazing. Lia stripped off her last garment, leaving herself in her underwear. But even then it felt like she was wearing too much. Everyone in her party had done the same. Lyon was fighting with his fists, as every time he tried to create ice it would evaporate before it could reach its target.

Lia swung her hand and one of the boilers turned over, spilling molten metal on top of the soldiers gathered to her right. They screamed in pain as they boiled and melted concurrently. Jura was making short work of his targets as well. But they kept coming. The room they were in looked like a huge refinery, with boilers and blast furnaces spraying steam and slag into the air all around them. It was worse than even the desert in terms of heat. Lia flung another soldier away when something huge came into view from behind one of the furnaces.

An enormous brute wearing no clothing at all with ripped skin and lesions on his body pouring pus and blood. At least his face was covered though. Lia cringed and threw several of her blades at him, but to her dismay he took the damage in stride. The weapons made contact but it didn't have any obvious effect on him.

"Obliterate…" The thing groaned. "Requip…" But if he was a requip magic user, than it was a dark and tainted requip. His skin tensed and weapons pushed themselves into the air. Mostly ranged weapons. Lia pulled sheet metal from the floor up to act as a shield, but it didn't last long. The dents and craters from the bullets were expected. But it was the pure agitated heat that melted right through the sheet metal that lia didn't expect. She vaulted away using the metal beneath her, quickly absconding to the side. And then she realized there were more than one of these things. Another brute was dealing with Jura, but instead of guns there were hammers and saws and melee equipment coming from his arms. Every block of stone that Jura erected to use as a weapon or shield was sawed through effortlessly.

Lyon lepat onto it's back and tried to strangle it or give Jura time to fight, but several blades came from its spine and threw the ice wizard to the ground as a bleeding mess. Jura cried out and clenched his fists in rage. Power began to gather around him and he pointed his palm at the beast.

"Rumbling Mount Fuji!" Lia tried to scream to stop Jura but it was too late. The brute was disintegrated, but now Juras weakened. The saint ran to Lyon and picked him up, observing the damage. He wasn't looking good, but he would survive.

Meanwhile, Lia needed to finish this monstrosity in front of her off. She had never controlled metal that was less solid or small, but she was going to try. The magnet mage dodged another volcano of pure heat and looked to the puddle of slag beneath her. She concentrated hard and gritted her teeth. The obliterator in front of her cackled and raised his array of weaponry towards her, the barrels of his guns spinning and glowing.

The projectiles entered the air and flew towards her, but so did the slag. The molten metal intercepted the foreign invaders and coated the hulk of metal and skin, burning through him immediately and bringing him down. Lia sighed and looked around. The rest of the enemies had been cleared out, and they'd only lost one. Lyon had been injured though. She huffed and wiped the sweat off of her skin.

Something tapped her shoulder. She glanced over and saw that a droplet of silver liquid had hit her. And more droplets of silver were falling to the ground from the ceiling. But the strangest thing was that they were all gathering at the center of the room. And when they'd all gathered Lia's heart sank. From the pool of mercury a figure was growing into the air. A man made of liquid metal.

He didn't speak a word. He just stepped forward and all hell broke loose.

* * *

Bisca pulled the trigger and a scattershot roared out of the barrel of her weapon, caving in the face of the man in front of her. The bloody corpse hit the ground like a weight and signalled the end of this wave of attackers.

For whatever reason this latest batch of Demon Machine soldiers were dressed more like aristocrats than fighters; with fine silks and patterned clothing. It was nicer to look at than the other people Jenny and Jellal had helped Bisca gun down, but that didn't matter when they became bloodsoaked and dead.

"So, do we bust these doors down?" Jenny asked to the other mages. There were about eight of them left in this group, which was a sad and unimpressive amount. Jellal crossed his arms and waited to think. Bisca did likewise, mulling over the possibilities in her head.

"Anything could be through there." Jellal stated bluntly. "But the only other way to go is backwards, so I'm not sure we really have a choice."

"Anyone who wants to wait here for us to clear out the next room can," Bisca offered to her companions behind. As she expected though, they all denied that and elected to advance with the rest of them.

The doors broke in to reveal an enormous chamber filled with rows and rows of… sewing machines? Laborers leaned over sewing machines and were going about knitting steel fibers into cloth in front of them. Further away larger bits of muscle tissue and steel were being welded and tied together into sickening armor plates. It was horrific. But above it all was something else, glowing like a star. It was a woman wearing pure white with hair equally pristine. She looked down at the ragged group of seven mages and laughed, holding her arms up.

"Welcome! Welcome to where beauty is made! And now I shall make you beautiful as well!"

* * *

"I'm literally fucking useless bro," Monte whined as Natsu and Alzack wrapped up the last of the enemies.

"Then why don't you help out more?" Alzack asked in annoyance as he laid his revolvers back in the holsters at his waist.

"I need sunlight to be really strong, and I stocked up a bunch but wasted it earlier," Monte said defensively. Natsu sighed and looked around the massive chamber in which they currently stood. The salamander worried about how easy this had all been so far. Not that the initial chamber had been of ease. But he had expected to be leaping straight into the fire out of where they'd been, but it felt like they'd leapt into a cool river. It didn't feel right.

The ceiling began to rumble. Water and condensation built up on the walls as the ambient heat rose as well. Sparks flew. A large figure flung down off of an overhang and crashed into the ground in front of all of them.

"Well, I guess I get to kill the traitor and the salamander…" The enormous figure said with a smirk. He was dressed in tribal garb and his body sparked with energy.

"Fuck you, Min," Monte huffed. Lightning flew off the ceiling and onto the back of the large man. With a jolt the enemy began to power up, glowing with force as his muscles swelled.

"None of you can kill a titan…"

 _A/N: Sorry for how long this took. Been getting over block. Updates will probably still be erratic. Thanks to the fans, keep reading._


End file.
